Brazil registers 208 virtual scams per hour

Every day that passes, it is more common to meet someone who has been the victim of a digital scam. Data from the Brazilian Yearbook of Public Security 2023 prove the increase in this type of fraud. To have an idea, last year 208 virtual scams per hour were practiced, a total of 1,819,409 stelionates, pointing to growth of 326.3% since 2018. The document also reports that 999,223 cell phones were stolen or stolen, registering a high of 16.6% in comparison to 20201,201 electronic records.

“This shows that the information offered on prevention is not effective. As much as we talk about tips and care on the internet, people are still not aware of what they receive, click and buy without prior consultation, and this needs to change. Before, what was growing were physical thefts and thefts, armed hand, within banking institutions, today, it is clear the transfer of physical and property violence to virtual violence, where the crook exposes himself much less”, analyzes Francisco Gomes Junior, a lawyer specializing in digital law and president of the ADDP (Association of Defense of Personal Data and Consumer). 

It is worth mentioning that the number indicated in the yearbook is lower than the number of scams committed, since, about 35% to 40% of the people who are injured do not register the fraud. “It is necessary to make the Occurrence Bulletin to communicate to the police authority and request the respective” investigation, points out the expert. 

Cybercrime wins every day (new’ grouping, which indicates that there is a profitable’ market for crooks who are not being fought. The fraudster does not have access to data or mobile/computer, therefore, it is some attitude of the victim that allows this access, many of them in the face of theft/theft of the cell phone with subsequent access to the victim's bank data and account access for fraud (whether by means of a phone call or malicious link). 

“The scams are becoming more sophisticated. Many of them now occur through repetitive contacts, that is, the victim begins to communicate with the scammer by application. The conversations occur for days and the victim is gaining confidence, becoming vulnerable to the fraudster. When trust is established, the scam happens, through a loan request for some urgency (such as illness in the family) or even the promise of an investment. To achieve this trust, the scammer has to know how to talk and analyze the victim to identify their vulnerable points”, adds Gomes Junior.

CUTOUT

In addition to the virtual scams, another data that draws attention in the Brazilian Yearbook of Public Security of 2023 is violence against women. Last year, the largest number of rapes in history was recorded, with 74,930 victims, pointing to an increase of 8.2% in relation to 2021. Of this total, 56,820 were rapes of vulnerable, that is, children up to 13 years of age. “Despite all the speeches that are made year by year, the life of women in Brazilian society is increasingly compromised, dangerous and violent, quotes the lawyer.