An influencer who says he was drugged, robbed, and possibly raped by Goodnight Cinderella crooks in Brazil has shared his ordeal.
The victim, 35-year-old Cameron Golinsky, who had been living in Rio to learn Portuguese, said he woke up two days later after the incident with no recollection of what happened to him.
On Instagram, he shared that he met two strangers at a bar in Ipanema, one of the city’s most famous beach districts, on October 26.
He said: ‘Two men approached me, began to chat to me and invited me to a beer. This had happened before so I wasn’t suspicious.’
He said he quickly began to feel ‘strangely drunk’ after drinking very little alcohol, and that the men persuaded him to bring them back to the apartment he was renting.
‘They got me to bring them to my house and from there they knocked me out, they robbed me,’ he said. ‘I woke up two days later and the evidence is pointing to me being raped.’
The influencer, who has nearly 5,000 followers, posted that police have CCTV footage of the suspects and that medical tests had confirmed he was negative for sexually transmitted diseases.
‘I filed all the CCTV reports and they have the CCTV footage,’ he said, adding that his bank and email accounts had been locked and he feared they had been tampered with. ‘I pray to God when I’m able to check that there’s anything left in the accounts at all.’
Golinsky told police he had been robbed of nearly $3,000. He said he was returning home to Vancouver to seek professional help. ‘Right now my safety and security are my top priorities,’ he wrote.
In a second post marking his 35th birthday, Golinsky thanked his family, friends and followers for their support. ‘This last week has been a rollercoaster I would not wish on anybody,’ he wrote.
In an Instagram post, he shared that he met two men who convinced him to take them to his rented apartment where they robbed him
Cameron Golinsky has revealed how he was the victim of a Goodnight Cinderella scam that saw him drugged, robbed, and possibly raped
‘I can say that at no point did I ever feel like I was going through this alone. I’ve received an outpouring of love from family and friends, acquaintances, strangers even.’
Calling it an ‘amazing birthday’ and saying he was glad to be alive, he added: ‘I remember being in a little haze and then it was black. You don’t think anything, you don’t dream anything, you’re just gone and then you wake up two days later.’
Rio’s Civil Police said they have identified at least one of the men suspected of targeting Golinsky and that he is already wanted in connection with a similar ‘Goodnight Cinderella’ case. The name of the suspect has not yet been released.
The ‘Goodnight Cinderella’ scam, named after a slang expression in Brazil for being drugged and robbed, involves criminals spiking victims’ drinks with sedatives such as Rohypnol or GHB before stealing money and valuables, often targeting foreign tourists.
The case comes after another British tourist, a 21-year-old engineering student, was filmed collapsing unconscious on Ipanema beach after his cocktail was allegedly laced by a group of women in August.
The student later said: ‘I took one, two sips and then nothing.’ His friend told reporters he threw his phone into the sand moments before blacking out to stop the attackers from accessing his banking apps.
Three women were later arrested over that incident Amanda Couto Deloca, 23, Mayara Katelyn Americo da Silva, 26, and Raiane Campos de Oliveira, 27.
Campos de Oliveira has previously been detained around 20 times for similar crimes, and last year served six months of a six-year sentence for drugging and robbing another British tourist before her conviction was overturned on appeal.
Two Brits who were drugged and robbed in Rio de Janeiro in August spoke about their ordeal
Viral footage showed one of the victims, visibly disoriented, staggering along the beachfront before collapsing face-first into the sand
Police later identified the suspects as Amanda Couto Deloca, 23, Mayara Ketelyn Americo da Silva, 26, and Raiane Campos de Oliveira, 27 (All pictured)
Earlier this month, Rio police also detained Claudio Rafael Silva de Quieroz de Pontes, a 22-year-old escort accused of targeting foreign visitors through dating apps as part of a wider gang that lured holidaymakers, particularly gay men, to beaches and bars before drugging and robbing them.
Criminal law professor Ronny Nunes said convicting perpetrators is often difficult because victims are foreign tourists who leave the country before trials begin.
‘When it is necessary to consult this person, to ask them to identify someone, or even when proceedings have already been initiated, to ask them to go to court, before the judge and prosecutor, to confirm their statement, they are sometimes not found,’ he said.
‘When the statement, that first one at the police station, is not ratified in court, conviction becomes very difficult, and acquittal is imposed.’
Following Golinsky’s account, one Brazilian follower commented: ‘I’m so sorry for what happened to you. There are awful people in our country but there are also many good people who wish you all the best at this time.’
Police say their investigation into the latest attack is ongoing.