Influencers Ianka Cristini and Bruno Martins who promised fans a fortune from home are arrested for fraud over fake gambling wins

Ianka Cristini, from Brazil, who describes herself as a "multimillionaire at 28", was arrested together with her husband Bruno Martins and an advisor of hers on Tuesday, January 14.

The trio were the targets of Operation Lance Final carried out by police in Itajai after it emerged they were involved in an online betting scam.

Cristini, who has around 15 million followers on social media, staged fake winnings from the Fortune Tiger gambling game, known in Brazil as Jogo do Tigrinho, to encourage her fans to place online bets.

She showed off the luxury items she bought from these fake winnings, including a £200,000 McLaren 720 Spider and lavish houses.

Cristini also talked about her financial struggles selling sweets on the street before becoming a self-proclaimed "businesswoman" and "multimillionaire". She told her fans they too could earn easy money like her by just playing the game from the comfort of their homes.

The police said that in reality, mum-of-four Cristini and her husband used a demo version of the game to simulate false winnings and encourage followers to register and place bets. They would then get paid by the game's organisers for the online promotions which helped fund their life of luxury as well as fancy trips to New York, Paris and Caribbean resorts.

As part of the operation, police seized the couple's luxury apartments and houses, several cars and designer clothes. The court also ordered their bank accounts frozen and their social media profiles blocked.

Cristini and Martins have neither confirmed nor denied the allegations. The investigation is ongoing.

Story: NewsX