More than 60% of Brazilians have already suffered attempted Internet scams, says Koin survey

In a new survey on the scenario of virtual scams and fraud, made by Koin, fintech specialized in Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) and in fraud prevention in e-commerce, the numbers show that the vulnerability of consumers is still a threat when buying over the Internet. According to the survey, 62,4% of Brazilians have already suffered some attempt of virtual scam, most of them (41,8%) on shopping sites.

WhatsApp frauds are also relevant, and represent 20.6% of attempts, while the Pix scam was mentioned by 18.6% of respondents.Data theft (so-called “phishing” was the threat cited by 13.9% of respondents, while 5.2% of consumers mentioned having experienced attempted password theft.

Money lost

Most victims reported having suffered damage between R$ 500 and R$ 1 thousand (47,6%), with a second significant group losing values in the house of R$ 50 and 100 (19%). Already 15,5% of respondents said they were defrauded in values above R$ 2 thousand; 10,7% lost between R$ 1 thousand and R$ 1,500. Only 7,111111T consumers reported not having suffered financial loss.

Where the scams happen

The survey also showed that the absolute majority (92.3%) of the coup attempts occurred through mobile devices, mainly mobile phones. Another relevant aspect is that 64.3% of the victims did not register a police report after suffering the threat, indicating a possible lack of confidence in solving the problem or lack of knowledge about the importance of this record.

“The numbers of our survey reveal that the issue of fraud and virtual scams is a reality in the lives of Brazilians and that can cause damage to both the consumer and the shopkeeper, who also suffers financial impacts due to virtual crimes,”, highlights Juana Angelim, Chief Operating Officer of Koin. “Therefore, more and more, it is necessary for companies to reinforce their online sales with robust anti-fraud systems” executivea.Only in 2023, Koin avoided R$ 240 million in fraud and 120 thousand fraudulent transactions.

The survey considered the experience of 350 consumers from all regions of Brazil in August, with most respondents from the Southeast (43.1%), followed by the Northeast (18.6%). The age group of participants also showed a homogeneous distribution: from 35 to 44 years (27.3%), 45 to 54 years (23.5%) and 55 to 64 years (22.5%).