Wesley Pessano Santarem Brazilian Crypto trader shot dead in Porsche flaunting lavish lifestyle on Instagram. Teen, 19, killed in broad daylight by pursuing vehicle.
A young crypto trader who flaunted his wealth on Instagram has been shot dead while driving his red Porsche Boxster according to local reports.
Gunmen unleashed a hail of bullets on Wesley Pessano Santarem, 19, as he drove through the Brazilian city of Sao Pedro da Aldeia.
Video footage filmed in the aftermath of the broad daylight shooting on August 4 shows Wesley motionless in the driver’s seat of his car with his white T-shirt soaked in blood.
The victim is seen with a visible bullet wound to the neck.
The killing comes as gangs increasingly target so-called ‘Insta-bragging’ Bitcoin traders and influencers after they have flaunted their wealth on social media, Brazil’s Band Jornalismo reported.
A world of two extremes
Despite being just 19-years-old, Wesley had apparently made a fortune as a cryptocurrency trader and investor for at least three years.
On Instagram the teen flaunted his wealth and expensive lifestyle to his 133,000 followers plus a YouTube channel with 15,600 subscribers where he gave trading tips.
His last Insta post was a photo of him sitting on the red Porsche — in which he was shot — as he flicks through wads of cash.
According to local reports, Wesley, who lived in the nearby city of Cabo Frio, was driving to the hairdresser’s to get a haircut when he was ambushed.
The killing took place in front of bystanders, who said the killers were driving a silver Volkswagen Voyage.
Cops say Wesley took at least four bullets, including one to the head.
Wesley’s friend was traveling in the passenger seat at the time and was injured in the shooting reports the nypost.
Boasting on social media- but at what cost?
He was taken to hospital in Cabo Frio while Wesley’s body was taken for a post-mortem examination.
The injured man’s identity has not been reported.
The police have not revealed the killers’ identities or the possible motive for the crime.
Some local media are reporting it was a case of mistaken identity.
Experts believe around 8 percent of people could be targeted by criminals due to what they share on social media — even using pictures to pick out loot, or to find entry points to people’s homes.
Cryptocurrency trader, Kieren Hamilton was stabbed and robbed by a machete-wielding gang after he had boasted about his lifestyle on Instagram.
The two-masked robbers raided his Greater Manchester home in November 2018 and demanded his valuables.