Brazilian police recently disclosed that they have obtained leads on a major financial fraud case involving fake cryptocurrency exchanges. According to the investigation, four criminal suspects, by disguising themselves as legitimate trading platforms under the names TAEBANK Markets and BitGrid, defrauded a large number of investors across the country. Currently, the police have obtained the complete identity information of the suspects and are conducting a full-scale manhunt. They are also calling on affected investors to provide more leads to assist in recovering the losses.

This case is being led by the Brazilian Federal Police (Polícia Federal). The two involved platforms have been operating “cryptocurrency investment plans” in multiple states since 2024, luring thousands of investors with promises of “high returns, low risk, and an automated trading system.” However, the true controllers of the so-called trading platforms are actually an organized criminal group. All funds were quickly transferred to offshore accounts and anonymous wallets after being deposited.

The police have confirmed that the core members of this criminal group consist of four individuals, namely:

* Carlos de Oliveira Pereira (35 years old): The main perpetrator of the case, responsible for marketing and social media promotion, as well as recruiting investors;

* Alexander Michael Dias Peixoto (26 years old): Responsible for building and maintaining the technical platform of the exchange and fabricating backend data;

* Janderson Araujo Rocha (43 years old): The main perpetrator of the case, responsible for overall operations, fund transfers, and money laundering instructions;

* Clodoaldo de Souza Mange (43 years old): Responsible for transferring funds through offshore accounts and cryptocurrency channels.

The police stated that the four suspects are still at large, but their identities, communication records, and partial whereabouts have been obtained. They are collaborating with Interpol and financial regulatory agencies to pursue the suspects.

Both platforms, TAEBANK Markets and BitGrid, operated under the guise of “legitimate registration,” using registration documents and compliance license identifiers from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), an agency under the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Investors were required to deposit funds to participate in so-called “quantitative trading plans” after registration and were shown fabricated profit curves on the platforms. Initially, partial withdrawals were allowed to build trust, after which the platforms began freezing account funds or rejecting withdrawals under pretexts such as “system maintenance” or “upgrade reviews.”

As of now, the **TAEBANK Markets** platform has been completely shut down, with its website and app inaccessible, while **BitGrid** still retains some front-end pages, using “system under maintenance” as an excuse to evade scrutiny.

Preliminary estimates indicate that the losses from this case amount to hundreds of millions of Brazilian reais, involving investors from multiple states across the country. The police have frozen some suspicious accounts and blocked virtual wallets associated with the criminal group.

Law enforcement agencies are calling on all affected investors to actively cooperate with the investigation by providing evidence such as account records, transfer receipts, and chat logs to further trace the flow of illicit funds.

In a statement, the police said:

> “We have obtained the complete profiles of the suspects and are conducting a full-scale manhunt. Any victims or individuals with information are urged to submit leads to local police stations or financial crime departments to help recover the losses.”

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**Regulatory and Social Response**

The Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) has issued risk warnings for both TAEBANK Markets and BitGrid, emphasizing that neither platform has obtained official authorization. Experts point out that this case once again exposes the inadequacies in cryptocurrency market regulation and the urgency of public investment education.

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**Conclusion**

As the police investigation deepens, this case is considered one of the most impactful virtual asset frauds in Brazil in recent years. Law enforcement agencies remind the public:

Before engaging in any form of cryptocurrency investment, be sure to verify the platform’s qualifications and regulatory filings, and do not be misled by promises of high returns. Additionally, if you discover any suspicious leads related to this case, please immediately contact local police or federal investigative departments to jointly combat such financial crimes.