Brazil experiences an average of 17 online scams every hour, resulting in losses exceeding R$ 550 million in 2022.
Online scams harm thousands of people every year and are exacerbated by users' lack of knowledge about the security measures they should take when browsing the internet. These crimes have a significant impact on the lives of Brazilians, both financially and emotionally, as many people lose money, sometimes their entire life savings, by falling into traps of bank fraud and other types of scams.
According to research conducted by the OLX and Allow Me platforms, the scams perpetrated against Brazilians They caused losses exceeding R$ 550 million to citizens in 2022. According to the survey, the average for the year was 17 scams every hour, which, by estimation, would be more than 148 in 365 days.
Despite common belief that the elderly and those with little internet experience are the main targets of this type of scam and are more susceptible to being deceived, the numbers show that the vast majority of victims (72%) are young people up to 31 years of age. While men represent 74% of those who have been victims of fraud in the digital world, 26% of the victims are women.
With the electronics sector being a favorite target for scammers, smartphones are the most targeted devices during scams, accounting for 45%, followed by video games (16%) and computers (15%). Among the main scams recorded are the "confirmed purchase" scam, the fake advertisement scam, and the theft of victims' data. Some promises made by scammers to carry out the fraud include products for sale at affordable prices, access to credit through a... online personal loanFast, hassle-free, and also through digital banking transactions.
In this scenario, it is important for the victim to research the reputation of the company or seller before making any type of online purchase or credit application, as well as checking for complaints from other customers on review websites. It is also necessary to be wary of offers with prices far below market value, and to avoid making advance payments or providing personal information before being certain that it is a legitimate company.
Southeast leads in fraud.
According to the study, in Brazil, most fraud cases were registered in the Southeast region. The state of São Paulo led in the number of online scams, with 37% of the occurrences identified in the research. Rio de Janeiro was second with 14%, and Minas Gerais was third with 8% of the confirmed scams.
Business hours
The survey conducted by the platforms indicates that 70% of attempted scams against Brazilians in 2022 occurred during business hours. According to the mapping, Thursday is the criminals' preferred day, when the majority of frauds were carried out.
In short, online scams represent a major challenge to the security of Brazilians who navigate the digital world daily. The financial and emotional damage caused by these crimes is significant and affects many people every year. Therefore, it is essential that users remain vigilant and take steps to protect themselves from criminals.
It is up to the authorities to intensify actions to combat online scams and promote digital literacy among the population, so that Brazilians can use online services in a safer and more informed way.