Brazil hits record number of fraud cases in 2025 as digital scams surge

Brazil recorded 2,261,055 cases of estelionato in 2025, the highest total since the Anuário Brasileiro de Segurança Pública began tracking in 2018. The figure represents a 2.7 % rise over 2024 and a 429.8 % increase since 2018. Digital fraud accounted for 346,753 of those reports, up 20.6 % year‑on‑year, with common schemes including card cloning, WhatsApp‑based scams and fake banking call centers.

The state of Mato Grosso posted the fourth‑highest rate of electronic fraud in the country, with 593.8 incidents per 100,000 residents, second only to Santa Catarina, the Federal District and Rondônia. In 2025 the state saw 23,120 victims, roughly one every 23 minutes. Researchers linked the growth to organized crime groups, citing direct involvement of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho (CV) in operating “crime offices” dedicated to electronic scams. The study warned that Brazil faces an integrated criminal economy that cannot be addressed by targeting only low‑level operators.