Frauds in Brazil are advancing against a new target: the youth. According to the Serasa Experian Fraud Attempt Indicator, the first and largest datatech in Brazil, the number of scams targeting people up to 25 years old increased by 50.2% in April 2025 compared to the same period last year. The shift in focus of criminals reveals a dynamic in attack strategies that target highly connected profiles with a lower financial history. The survey also indicates that the country recorded 1,101,410 fraud attempts in the month, equivalent to one every 2.4 seconds — a volume that has remained above 1 million since January.
"Overall, fraud attempts are evolving rapidly, driven by technologies such as artificial intelligence and the sophistication of social engineering tactics. It's no longer just about volume, but about the quality of the scams," emphasizes Caio Rocha, Director of Authentication and Fraud Prevention at Serasa Experian. In this scenario, adopting multi-layered anti-fraud strategies is essential. Integrated solutions that operate at different stages of the digital journey enable more accurate identification of suspicious behaviors and allow for preventive actions, reducing risks even before the fraud materializes. Additionally, it is crucial to promote continuous consumer awareness, as they remain targets of scammers, he adds.
Check the graph below for the monthly evolution of fraud attempts over the past 12 months:
Economically active adults continued to be the main focus of the scammers. In April, the age group of 36 to 50 years was the most affected by fraud attempts, accounting for one-third (33%) of the detected cases. Next, the groups aged 26 to 35 years (26.3%) and those up to 25 years old (15%) appear.
However, compared to April 2024, the greatest proportional increase was recorded among the youngest: the participation of victims aged up to 25 years increased by 50.2%, revealing a concerning trend of expanding the reach of fraud among people with less credit history or less previous exposure. The age groups 26 to 35 years and 36 to 50 years also showed significant increases, of 38.2% and 26.8%, respectively.
The significant growth of fraud among the youth raises an important alert. This group, often with little credit history and less familiarity with digital traps, has become a new strategic target for scammers. It is essential that fraud protection begins early, with access to information and digital education, as well as monitoring tools and constant review of processes at each stage of the journey by companies, in order to ensure layered protection throughout the process, from customer registration to purchase, says Caio Rocha, Director of Authentication and Fraud Prevention at Serasa Experian.
Among the older audiences, the participation of those aged 51 to 60 increased by 21.1%, while the group over 60 years old saw an increase of 11.7% during the period, reinforcing that, although with a smaller total volume, fraudsters continue to target profiles that are more vulnerable in terms of digital experience or access to information.
Banks remain the main target of scammers, but Telecommunications led in annual growth.
The Banking and Cards sector continued to lead the fraud attempt ranking in Brazil, accounting for 54.2% of the records in April 2025. Next, the sectors of Services (30.9%), Financials (7.2%), Telecommunications (5.8%), and Retail (1.9%) appear.
All segments showed an increase compared to April 2024, with the Telecommunications sector standing out, which experienced the largest jump: a 61.1% increase in fraud attempts. Next, Banks and Cards grew by 32.9%, while Services increased by 23.9%. Financial and Retail sectors showed increases of 19% and 9.5%, respectively.
Frauds with manipulated data at the time of registration account for more than half of the prevented attempts
In the analysis by modality, most of the fraudulent attempts were identified by registration inconsistencies (52.1%) detected in April 2025. This modality includes discrepancies in personal data provided at the time of registration, such as CPF, name, address, or phone number, which do not match reliable sources or show signs of manipulation.
Alerts related to document authenticity and biometric verification, responsible for 39.9% of prevented attempts, ranked second. Finally, suspicious behaviors on devices, such as access from equipment linked to previous fraud attempts or abnormal browsing patterns, accounted for 8% of the blocked frauds during the period.
Southeast concentrates almost half of the frauds, but North leads proportional growth
The Southeast region continued to be the epicenter of fraud attempts in the country, with 521,451 occurrences in April 2025, representing 47.3% of the national total. The ranking continued with Northeast (246,550), South (177,351), North (79,431), and Midwest (76,627). Despite that, when observing the annual variation by region, the North led the proportional increase, with a 38.3% rise in fraud attempts compared to the same month of the previous year. The Northeast also showed strong growth (+33.7%), with highlights including states such as Amazonas (+42.2%), Pará (+41.4%), and Maranhão (+38.9%).
The federal unit (UF) of São Paulo led alone in the number of monthly records, with 301,195 occurrences, followed by Rio de Janeiro (104,117) and Minas Gerais (96,161). On the other end, Roraima (2,290) and Amapá (3,176) showed the lowest absolute volumes, although both recorded significant increases compared to April 2024, of 39.3% and 36.1%, respectively.
Although they already had high volumes, Southeast (+29.9%) and Central-West (+27.3%) also recorded significant growth. The Southern region, although having the lowest variation rates, still showed an increase of 23.1%, with Paraná standing out, accounting for over 70,000 occurrences in the month.
Below is a chart showing the number of fraud attempts by states and, next, a table with the annual variation:
In the population-proportional analysis, the Federal District had the highest rate of fraud attempts in April 2025, with 7,759 occurrences per million inhabitants. Next, the states of São Paulo (6,540), Mato Grosso (6,093), and Rio de Janeiro (6,045) stand out, all above the national average of 5,166, and with strong digital presence and high banking penetration, factors that increase exposure to risk.
On the other hand, Maranhão (3,105), Roraima (3,123), and Piauí (3,361) recorded the lowest densities, although some of these states showed significant increases compared to the previous year, indicating a possible inward movement of frauds. Check the chart with complete density information by states:
