According to the Identity and Fraud Report from Serasa Experian, 51% of Brazilians experienced scam attempts in 2024. This is already a terrifying number on its own, but for those who buy and sell online, the situation can be even more complicated. The latest study from Axur on cybercrimes shows a 26-times increase in debit and credit card exposure, as well as 13 times more leaked credentials last year compared to 2023.
It is common for peak seasonal shopping dates like Mother’s Day to cause fraud spikes, requiring increased attention from both consumers and retailers. Adilson Neves, Commercial Director of the fintech specializing in digital payment solutions Paytime, points out that stores bear the brunt of the scams: “When working with online sales, it is crucial to ensure the security of customer data. If a criminal makes a purchase using this data, the store may be held responsible, especially in chargeback cases, where the true cardholder disputes the purchase and the amount is refunded, causing direct losses to the merchant.”
Therefore, Adilson emphasizes some important recommendations for those working with e-commerce. The first is to work with robust and reliable payment systems, with updated security services, and with companies that offer fraud prevention systems, or double authentication like 3DS. This greatly reduces the risk of not being the actual cardholder making the purchase. Furthermore, a good fraud prevention system can identify the possibility of the card being cloned, analyze behavioral patterns, and prevent a scam against the merchant and the consumer.
“Antifrauds evaluate a series of parameters. For example, it may be that a site consistently makes sales for an average value of R$ 50 and someone tries to make a purchase of a thousand. The system understands that the order has suspicious behavior, based on a real-time risk analysis that considers purchase history, location, time, and other behavioral factors,” explains the director.
Another increasingly popular and secure option for online sales is the use of payment links, especially for those who transact through social networks like Instagram or WhatsApp.
And for customers, how to protect themselves? “There are several precautions to be taken during purchases, especially with the high flow of promotions and information on Mother’s Day. It is necessary to carefully check which site, where the links came from, and if the store’s history is reliable,” recommends Adilson. He suggests using the siteconfiavel.com.br page to perform this type of verification.
It is also essential to keep an eye on phishing attempts, a type of scam in which criminals try to deceive and convince consumers to reveal their sensitive data. According to a report by Kaspersky, in 2024, there were more than 893 million phishing attempts worldwide — an increase of 26% compared to the previous year. Brazil remains among the countries with the highest volume of attacks, especially on seasonal dates like Mother’s Day, when online transaction volume surges. And according to the Axur report, this is the most common fraud modality in e-commerce: only in 2024, the number of phishing pages doubled, reaching 72,455. Attacks can be simple or sophisticated, using SMS messages, WhatsApp, or even online advertising that leads the public to believe in the authenticity of the products.
“It is essential for consumers to pay extra attention to links received via SMS, email, or WhatsApp, as scammers take advantage of haste and the volume of offers to deceive people,” warns Adilson. “It is important to verify the authenticity of websites, look for security seals, and avoid clicking on unknown links, even if they appear to be from trusted stores. Finally, consider using a credit card more often, instead of Pix and debit, since in the former case, there is a greater possibility of disputing if the consumer identifies a suspicion. In addition, credit cards usually offer buyer protection programs and banking intermediation, which facilitates recovering the amount in case of fraud,” concludes the professional.
