Brazil Scam & Fraud Statistics
38 per cent of Brazilians said they had faced a scam or an attempted scam by March 2025, up from 33 per cent in September 2024, according to FEBRABAN's Radar Febraban survey.
Last reviewed: 20 July 2026
This page covers what FEBRABAN, the Brazilian Federation of Banks, publishes about scams against ordinary consumers. Its Radar Febraban survey found that the share of people reporting scams or attempted scams in Brazil rose from 33 per cent in September 2024 to 38 per cent in March 2025. Credit-card cloning or card-swapping remained the most commonly named scam at 40 per cent, followed by someone impersonating an acquaintance and asking for money over WhatsApp at 28 per cent.\n\nThese are survey percentages, not police records or bank loss ledgers. The March 2025 wave was carried out between 19 and 21 March 2025 with 2.000 people across the five regions of the country, so the numbers reflect what respondents said had happened to them rather than verified transactions, and they carry the usual sampling error. FEBRABAN attaches no national victim-loss total to this survey. The one monetary figure on this page — around R$ 5 bilhões — is what the banking sector says it invested in security and fraud prevention, not what victims lost. All amounts are Brazilian reais.
Key figures
38%, up from 33% in September 2024
Share of people reporting scams or attempted scams, March 2025
Source: FEBRABAN — Radar Febraban (via FEBRABAN TECH) (2025)
40% of respondents
Most commonly cited scam — credit-card cloning or card-swapping
Source: FEBRABAN — Radar Febraban (via FEBRABAN TECH) (2025)
28% of respondents
Someone impersonating an acquaintance to request money over WhatsApp
Source: FEBRABAN — Radar Febraban (via FEBRABAN TECH) (2025)
26% of respondents, third most cited
Fake bank call-centre scam (golpe da central falsa)
Source: FEBRABAN — Radar Febraban (via FEBRABAN TECH) (2025)
16% of respondents, fourth most cited
Pix-related scam (golpe do PIX)
Source: FEBRABAN — Radar Febraban (via FEBRABAN TECH) (2025)
Men 44%, people aged 60 or over 42%, and people with higher education 41%
Groups reporting the highest susceptibility to scams
Source: FEBRABAN — Radar Febraban (via FEBRABAN TECH) (2025)
69%, almost 7 in 10
Respondents who recall receiving anti-scam warnings from banks or other bodies
Source: FEBRABAN — Radar Febraban (via FEBRABAN TECH) (2025)
About R$ 5 bilhões invested
Banking sector spending on security and fraud and cybercrime prevention
Source: FEBRABAN — Isaac Sidney, president of Febraban (via FEBRABAN TECH) (2024)
Key takeaways
- Scam exposure is rising fast: 38 per cent of Brazilians reported a scam or attempted scam in March 2025 against 33 per cent six months earlier.
- Card cloning or card-swapping is still the scam people name most often, at 40 per cent — ahead of the WhatsApp impersonation scam at 28 per cent.
- The fake bank call centre (26 per cent) and Pix scams (16 per cent) round out the four most-cited scams, so a call claiming to be from your bank deserves a hang-up and a callback on the official number.
- Being older or better educated is no protection: men (44 per cent), people aged 60 or over (42 per cent) and people with higher education (41 per cent) reported the highest susceptibility.
- Awareness campaigns are landing but not stopping the trend — 69 per cent of respondents recall seeing anti-scam warnings from banks or other bodies, while reported scam exposure still went up.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common scam in Brazil?
According to FEBRABAN's Radar Febraban survey, the scam Brazilians name most often is credit-card cloning or card-swapping, cited by 40 per cent of respondents in March 2025. Second is a scam in which someone impersonates an acquaintance and asks for money over WhatsApp, at 28 per cent. The fake bank call centre came third at 26 per cent, moving up from second place, and Pix-related scams stayed fourth at 16 per cent. These are survey mentions, not counts of confirmed cases.
How much money do Brazilians lose to scams each year?
FEBRABAN's Radar Febraban survey does not publish a national victim-loss total, so no reliable single figure sits behind it. What FEBRABAN does disclose is the industry's own spending: its president, Isaac Sidney, said around R$ 5 bilhões was invested in security and prevention of fraud and cybercrime. Treat any headline reais loss total you see attributed to this survey with caution, and always check whether the figure is a loss, an attempted loss, or an amount blocked.