Elderly Man, Indigenous Woman Targeted in Wave of Wrongful Bank Debits

Wrongful Debits Spark Legal Action in Tocantins: Two Cases Highlight Growing Consumer Issue Araguaína and Santa Fé do Araguaia, Tocantins, Brazil – Elderly residents and indigenous people in Tocantins are facing a wave of unexplained bank debits, prompting legal action. The cases of Inácio Ferreira da Silva and Juracy Wekeru Karajá highlight the problem. Inácio, 66, was charged R$553.60 by Odontoprev for a dental plan he insists he never signed up for. "We never even go to the dentist," his wife Maria de Jesus Ferreira da Silva explained. Odontoprev returned part of the money but maintained the contract was legitimate. Meanwhile, Juracy, an indigenous woman, received a R$30.51 debit from Bradesco Seguros for home insurance. Her home, located in a Xambioá indigenous territory, is a simple wooden structure, hardly the type of property needing such insurance. Bradesco has not commented on the case. The sheer volume of similar cases has led the Tocantins court to establish an Incidente de Resolução de Demandas Repetitivas (IRDR) to handle them efficiently and fairly, preventing the abuse of the judicial system. The stories of Inácio and Juracy underscore the vulnerability of elderly and indigenous populations to fraudulent practices. The court's action offers hope for a more just resolution for those affected.