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Woman, 37, claimed she was an autistic 12 year old to trick family into adopting her
The Independent • • world
Key Points:
- Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira, a 38-year-old Brazilian woman, was jailed for fraud after pretending to be a 12-year-old autistic girl to deceive a family into giving her a place to live for over a year.
- Oliveira used props like a doll, pacifier, and baby bottle, and fabricated a story about hormone treatments to explain her adult physique, convincing an evangelical couple in Joinville to care for her.
- The scam was uncovered after her adoptive aunt grew suspicious and found similar cases in other Brazilian states, revealing Oliveira had used multiple aliases and deceived several families.
- Previous victims described Oliveira as highly persuasive and empathetic, with police noting her extensive research on autistic behavior to maintain the ruse.
- Oliveira was sentenced to 18 months in prison after a judge ruled she acted deliberately, rejecting her claim of mental illness and concluding she intended to commit fraud.
