Brazil recorded 6,937,832 attempted frauds in the first half of 2025, an increase of 29.5% compared to the same period the previous year. The data comes from the Fraud Attempt Indicator from Serasa Experian, the country's first and largest data technology company, and reveals an average of one attempt every 2.3 seconds, a rate that has been intensifying in recent months. See the comparison with the last two semesters in the following graph:
In the first half of 2025, 53.7% of all fraud attempts detected in the country were directed at banks and card issuers. Against the sector, one incident occurred every 4.2 seconds. Caio Rocha, Director of Authentication and Fraud Prevention at Serasa Experian, explains that this is because criminals are primarily targeting areas with the greatest impact. "The financial system holds the greatest potential for criminal returns. By hacking into bank accounts, obtaining card details, or taking out credit in third parties' names, they carry out scams that can yield higher amounts, with a low risk of exposure. The banking environment is a fertile ground for fraudulent actions, especially when there are no multiple layers of authentication and fraud prevention or efficient behavioral analysis," he states.
Despite the significant volume of attempted fraud concentrated in the banking sector, other segments have also seen rapid increases in criminal attacks. The "Telephony" sector showed the largest percentage increase, with an increase of over 50%, followed by "Services" (30.2%), "Banks and Cards" (28.4%), and "Financial Services" (25.5%). "Retail" had the lowest growth among the segments analyzed, albeit with a significant increase of 11.7%. See the chart below for a comparison between the sectors compared to the same period in 2024:
According to the datatech director, the increase in fraud attempts is due to both the accelerated digitalization of daily routines and the sophistication of tools used by criminals, such as artificial intelligence, synthetic profiles, and social engineering techniques. "We're talking about attacks that often appear legitimate even to automated systems. This scenario requires prevention solutions to act intelligently and across multiple layers, combining identity verification, biometrics, and real-time behavior analysis. At the same time, it's crucial that technological evolution be accompanied by digital education initiatives, so that consumers are also prepared to protect themselves in this increasingly connected environment," he explains.
In addition to business protection, consumer awareness is crucial. Monitoring CPF numbers, strong passwords, being wary of suspicious messages, and paying attention to the digital environment are all key factors that make a difference.
São Paulo led the absolute volume rankings; Scams increased in the North and Northeast
Geographically, the increase in attempted fraud was widespread: all Federative Units (UFs) registered a significant increase compared to the first half of 2024. Even Paraná, the state with the smallest variation in the period, showed an increase of more than 25%. The largest percentage increases were observed in the North (34.6%) and Northeast (32.1%) regions, reflecting the expansion of the criminals' focus beyond the major centers.
Despite this, the Southeast continued to lead in absolute volume. The region accounted for 3,295,292 of the attempted attacks recorded in the first half of 2025, equivalent to 47.5% of the national total. The state of São Paulo alone accounted for almost 30% of all incidents, totaling 1,905,851 attempted attacks in the first six months of the year.
Check the graph below and the table below for detailed data by state:
Federal District leads in rate of attempts per inhabitant
When analyzing the proportion of attempted fraud per million inhabitants (an indicator that reveals the intensity of attacks relative to the exposed population), the Federal District had the highest national rate: 8,119 occurrences per million. São Paulo and Mato Grosso came next, with 6,898 and 6,409, respectively, reinforcing the widespread reach of criminal activities, regardless of geographic location. See the exposure rate by state in the chart below:
Monthly overview: June maintains monthly average above 1.1 million fraud attempts
In June 2025, 1,145,617 attempted frauds were recorded in Brazil, an increase of 33.1% compared to the same month of the previous year. This increase reinforces the trend observed throughout the semester, with a monthly volume consistently above 1.1 million occurrences. In terms of population, the country averaged 5,370 attempts per million inhabitants in the month, highlighting the high pressure of digital scams on the Brazilian population. Below, see a graph showing the monthly number recorded over the last 12 months:
Avoid fraud: see tips from Serasa Experian experts to protect yourself
Consumers:
• Ensure that your documents, cell phone and cards are safe and have strong passwords to access applications;
• Be wary of offers for products and services, such as travel, with prices that are well below market value. At such times, it is common for cybercriminals to use the names of well-known stores to try to hack into your computer. They use emails, SMS messages and website replicas to try to collect information and credit card details, passwords and personal information from the buyer;
• Be careful with links and files shared in social media messaging groups. They may be malicious and direct you to unsafe pages that contaminate devices with commands to operate without the user noticing;
• Register your Pix keys only on official bank channels, such as banking apps, Internet Banking or branches;
• Do not provide passwords or access codes outside the bank's website or application;
• Do not make transfers to friends or relatives without confirming by phone or in person that it really is the person in question, as the person's contact may have been cloned or falsified;
• Only include your personal information and card details if you are sure that this is a secure environment;
• Monitor your CPF frequently to ensure that you have not been a victim of fraud.
Companies:
• Invest in fraud prevention technologies to protect the integrity and security of your company’s operations.
• In an increasingly digital and interconnected business environment, where fraud evolves and expands rapidly, layered fraud prevention is not just a good practice, but a strategic necessity;
• Ensure the quality and veracity of data from fraud prevention solutions using solutions that are constantly improved in the face of changes and fraud threats;
• Deeply understand your user profile and constantly seek to minimize friction points in their digital journey, ensuring a fluid experience without compromising security.
• Use fraud prevention as a lever to generate revenue, implementing an intelligent orchestration of solutions that maximize security, reduce losses and enable a more agile and reliable shopping experience for the customer.
Methodology
The Serasa Experian Fraud Attempts Indicator – Consumer is the result of crossing two sets of information from the Serasa Experian databases: 1) total CPF consultations carried out monthly at Serasa Experian; 2) estimation of the risk of fraud, obtained through the application of probabilistic fraud detection models developed by Serasa Experian, based on Brazilian data and global Experian technology already consolidated in other countries. The Serasa Experian Fraud Attempts Indicator – Consumer is constituted by multiplying the number of CPFs consulted (item 1) by the probability of fraud (item 2), in addition to adding the volume of fraud attempts registered by the company relating to document verification, facial biometrics and registration verification.
Serasa Experian
Serasa Experian is the first and largest Datatech in Brazil. A leader in intelligence solutions for analyzing risks and opportunities, focusing on credit journeys, authentication and fraud prevention. With cutting-edge technology, innovation and the best talent, it transforms the uncertainty of risk into the best decision, helping people achieve their dreams and companies of all sizes and segments to prosper.
Created in 1968, Serasa became part of the Experian Company in 2007, a global company headquartered in London. It is currently responsible for more than 6.5 million daily queries about companies and consumers and protects more than 2.2 billion commercial transactions every year.
Empowers consumers with financial education, facilitating access to fair credit. Helps companies of all sizes and segments to make better decisions, on several fronts to: find new customers, manage current ones more efficiently, grant credit or sell on credit safely, comply with ESG standards, authenticate its customers and prevent fraud, and also charge them at the ideal time, without impacting the relationship.
With the purpose of creating a better future for everyone by expanding opportunities for people and companies, the company trains people in the technology area and promotes small businesses and startups with social impact through its own free programs. It is considered a LinkedIn Top Company and one of the best companies to work for, recognized by GPTW. It is also the most innovative service company in the country, certified by the Valor Inovação Brasil Award.
expert
Experian is a global data and technology company that creates opportunity for people and drives businesses around the world. We facilitate credit journeys, authenticate and prevent fraud, streamline healthcare processes, provide digital marketing solutions, and help drive insights for the automotive industry, all using innovative combinations of our data, analytics, and software. We also help millions of people achieve their financial goals and save time and money.
We operate in a variety of markets, going beyond financial services and operating in the automotive, agribusiness, healthcare, insurance and many other industry segments. To continue innovating, we invest in talented people and advanced technology to unlock the power of data.
With corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, we are a FTSE 100 company listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and have a team of 25,200 people in 32 countries. Learn more at experianplc.com.
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