Brazil blocked R$ 13.6 billion in fraud

A new study by CDL Porto Alegre, in partnership with Equifax BoaVista, estimated that Brazil blocked R$ 13.6 billion in attempted purchase fraud in 2025. The survey also recorded more than 7 million blocked attempts and a 54.36% increase in the average value of blocked transactions, which reached R$ 1,800.

What did the survey numbers show?

The estimate points to a high volume of blocked attempts and to higher-value transactions. According to Jornal do Comércio, the total amount stopped reached R$ 13.6 billion, while the average value of blocked transactions rose 54.36% to R$ 1,800.

The same survey also indicated that there were more than 7 million blocked attempts in the country. The data suggest that purchase fraud continues to move in both volume and value, with higher-ticket transactions trying to get past controls.

What other recent cases show that trend?

Recent reports point to different schemes, from bank fraud to moves involving third-party accounts. In Araçatuba, a businessman said he found two unauthorized transactions totaling R$ 184,737.83 in his company account, and the case was filed with the Civil Police for a cybercrime investigation.

In Santana do Ipanema, a woman was arrested on suspicion of accessing an elderly man's bank account during a service appointment, taking out a loan in the victim's name, and transferring R$ 2,600 to her own account. In another case, the courts found failures in banking service and ordered the Confederação das Cooperativas do Sicredi to refund, in double, the amounts debited by fraudulent purchases and to pay R$ 5,000 for moral damages.

What fraud methods appear most often?

Among the reported cases are the fake relative scam, the misuse of bank accounts, and impersonation of financial institutions. The Federal District Cybercrime Repression Police identified 19 victims in six months in a fake relative scheme that sold kits for carrying out the fraud, with older adults especially affected.

Febraban also warned about criminals using its name and visual identity on WhatsApp to contact victims, claim a supposed suspicious transaction, and ask for personal or banking data. According to that warning, the fake loan scam was also recurring through fake pages and profiles online, along with attempts to obtain passwords, codes, and other data to operate in the victim's name.