The Southern region recorded 559,236 fraud attempts in the first quarter of 2025, accounting for 16.1% of the national total and an average growth of 21% compared to the same period of the previous year. The data is from the Serasa Experian Fraud Attempt Indicator, the first and largest data tech in Brazil. The region ranked third in the national occurrence ranking, behind only the Southeast, which accounted for 47.1% of the national total, and the Northeast (20.3%).
In the breakdown by Federative Units (FUs), Paraná led both in volume and population density, with 222,876 records and a rate of 6,263 attempts per million inhabitants, equivalent to one attempt every 35 seconds. Rio Grande do Sul showed the highest annual variation in the region, with a growth of 21.7%. Santa Catarina, although it recorded the lowest numbers in the region in absolute volume, density, national participation, and frequency, still drew attention for the increase in occurrences, with a 20.2% rise compared to the first quarter of 2024. Check the consolidated regional data from January to March 2025 in the table below:
National view: Fraud attempts increase by 22.9% in the first quarter
Brazil recorded 3,468,255 fraud attemptings in the first three months of 2025 — a 22.9% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Serasa Experian Fraud Attempt Indicator, the country's first and largest data tech company. The volume corresponds to one attempt every 2.2 seconds, with over 1 million monthly occurrences recorded consecutively over the quarter.
Check the annual comparison in the chart below:
"We have observed a concerning acceleration in the sophistication of fraud attempts. Since there is no single solution capable of stopping the efforts, companies need to adopt a layered anti-fraud methodology, with technologies capable of acting in an integrated and preventive manner throughout the user journey. These are essential to block attacks at their source, before they cause damage through social engineering strategies, now enhanced by the use of artificial intelligence to create hyper-personalized approaches," says Caio Rocha, Director of Authentication and Fraud Prevention at Serasa Experian. "In addition to technology, it is essential to continuously invest in educating consumers so they can recognize and avoid new scam formats," he/she/they adds.
Banks and Cards account for more than half of the investments
Most of the fraud attempts recorded in the first quarter of 2025 were directed at the "Banks and Cards" sector (54%). Next, the segments of "Services" (31.9%), "Financial" (6.7%), "Telephony" (5.7%), and "Retail" (1.7%) appeared, maintaining the consistency of records across all three months. See the following chart for the sectoral breakdown and comparison with the same period in 2024:
In the analysis by modality, inconsistencies in registration information are the main area for detecting fraud attempts, accounting for 50.6% of the prevented occurrences in the first quarter. Next, fraudulent patterns related to document authenticity and biometric validation accounted for 41.9% of the cases. Monitoring of suspicious behaviors on devices — such as association with previous fraud histories — was responsible for 7.5% of the blocked diligences during the period.
Hacking attempts are increasingly targeting the population over 50 years old
In the age group division, consumers between 36 and 50 years old remained the most targeted, accounting for 32.9% of the fraud attempts recorded in March. Next, the groups aged 26 to 35 years (26.5%) and up to 25 years (15.3%) appeared. Consumers between 51 and 60 years old accounted for 13.4% of the incidents, while those over 60 years old represented 11.9% of the total.
Compared to March 2024 — the month that recorded the highest volume of frauds last year — only two of the mapped age groups showed an increase in occurrences in the same month of 2025: a 3.7% rise among consumers aged 51 to 60 and a 7.9% increase among those over 60. All the others showed a decrease in the annual variation, reinforcing the trend of concentration of scams among the older segments of the population.
Frauds surge in all states; SP approaches 1 million attempts
All Federative Units (FUs) of Brazil recorded a significant increase in fraud attempts in the first quarter of 2025, with cumulative variations exceeding 20% compared to the same period of the previous year. The highest increases occurred in Pará and Amazonas, both registering 27.0%, followed by Roraima (26.0%). Even the states with the lowest growth in the comparison — Santa Catarina (20.2%), Distrito Federal (20.6%), and Paraná (21.2%) — showed concerning figures.
In absolute volume, the Southeast remained the most targeted region by fraudsters, with 1,637,274 attempted frauds recorded in the quarter — equivalent to 47.2% of all efforts in the country. The region had an average variation of 22.6% compared to the first three months of 2024.
Among the states, São Paulo led alone, with nearly 1 million scam attempts prevented during the period. Next were Rio de Janeiro (325,518) and Minas Gerais (302,197). At the other end of the ranking, the smallest volumes were recorded in Acre (11,009), Amapá (10,015), and Roraima (7,255). Below is a chart showing the number of fraud attempts in each state, followed by a table with the accumulated annual variations during this period:
When the fraud attempt rate is observed relative to the population, the Federal District ranks at the top nationally, with 8,079 occurrences per million inhabitants in the first quarter of 2025. The rate is more than double that recorded in Maranhão, which ranks last with 3,285 cases per million inhabitants. Immediately after the Federal District, São Paulo (6,856), Mato Grosso (6,444), and Rio de Janeiro (6,300) stand out, reinforcing the higher fraudulent pressure in regions with strong economic activity. Check below the chart with the complete data per million inhabitants:
Monthly view: March had a slight decrease in the monthly variation, but the volume remains above one million.
Brazil recorded 1,106,846 fraud attempts in March 2025 alone — equivalent to an average of 25 incidents per minute or one every 2.4 seconds. Despite the significant number, the month showed a slight decline of 1.1% compared to February. Nevertheless, the level remains high, with every day in March recording more than 35,000 transactions blocked by Serasa Experian's anti-fraud technologies.
Check the monthly data for the last 12 months in the chart below:
"Combating fraud requires constant action, advanced technology, and a strategic vision that combines innovation with education. At Serasa Experian, we remain committed to offering increasingly comprehensive solutions to anticipate risks, protect digital identities, and support companies and consumers in building safer journeys," concludes Rocha.
