Woman defrauded in Montevideo scam loses 1.5 million pesos and 50,000 dollars

A woman in the Atahualpa neighbourhood of Montevideo became the victim of a common fraud scheme known as the "cuento del tío" (uncle's tale), in which criminals deceive victims into surrendering cash by claiming imminent changes to currency exchange rates. The perpetrators convinced the victim that she needed to hand over her money to take advantage of favourable exchange conditions before the rates changed.

Following the typical pattern of this scam, the criminals told the woman that bank personnel would visit her home to collect the cash and exchange it for her. She ultimately surrendered 1.5 million Uruguayan pesos and 50,000 US dollars to the fraudsters. The scheme exploits victims' trust and creates artificial urgency to bypass their normal financial caution.

The Zona Operacional III police unit has opened an investigation into the case. Officers are reviewing security camera footage from the area to identify and locate the suspects responsible for the fraud. The case adds to a growing number of similar incidents affecting residents in the capital, highlighting the ongoing prevalence of this particular confidence scam in the region.