CHILDLIKE ANTICS

Woman, 38, Jailed After Convincing Couple She Was 12

Police said she “emotionally kidnapped” the well-meaning couple.

A 38-year-old serial fraudster has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after successfully convincing a couple she was a 12-year-old girl seeking refuge. Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira tricked her hosts in southern Brazil for over a year, living in a toy-filled bedroom, drinking from baby bottles, and celebrating a fake 12th birthday. To justify her adult appearance, she claimed her father forced her to take hormonal supplements. Police reported the evangelical couple was “emotionally kidnapped” before a visiting relative discovered online reports revealing Oliveira’s long history of pulling similar age-defying schemes across multiple states. When officers raided her room, Oliveira immediately dropped her high-pitched act and spoke in a normal voice, later admitting she had pulled the fraud for 15 years. “It is clear that I deceived people; I lied. But I did not intend to scam anyone,” she told police. Rejecting her defense that she was mentally ill, the judge convicted her of fraud. Her lawyers are appealing.