# Fake acquaintance scam: how it works and what to do · Bipe The scammer copies the photo and name of someone you know, such as a friend or your boss, and writes from another number asking for money. Here is how to spot it and what to do. **The fake acquaintance scam: the photo is someone you know, the account is not** Also called: fake boss scam, cloned profile scam. ## The numbers - **11.4%** had someone pose as them online (Jul 2024 to Jun 2025. Source: [Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública e Datafolha](https://publicacoes.forumseguranca.org.br/server/api/core/bitstreams/33ed3320-fc11-45f9-a909-ed69eba48cfd/content)) ## How it works 1. The scammer copies a photo and name from a social media or messaging profile. 2. They write from another number as that person, sometimes saying they changed number. 3. They ask for a Pix, a payment to a supplier or gift cards, always in a rush. ## How to spot it - The chat comes from a number you did not have saved. - The person cannot call or send a voice message. - The money goes to someone else's account or company. ## What to do - Call the person on the number you already had before you pay. - Show your profile photo only to your contacts. - Already paid? Talk to your bank at once, ask for MED and file a police report. ## How Bipe helps Each item shows where it stands on iPhone and Android. - [Message requests](https://bipe.chat/en/features/message-requests/) (iPhone: In the test app; Android: In development): People who are not in your contacts arrive as a request. A message from a new number does not land straight in your chat list. - [Verified seal](https://bipe.chat/en/features/verified-seal/) (iPhone: Coming soon; Android: Coming soon): A seal with a name verified through Pix or gov.br, so you know who is on the other side. - [Scam warnings](https://bipe.chat/en/features/scam-warnings/) (iPhone: In the test app; Android: In development): A warning shows under a message that looks like a scam, such as a rushed Pix, a new number or a boleto. It is on by default, with nothing to set up. - [A pause before paying](https://bipe.chat/en/features/pause-before-paying/) (iPhone: Coming soon; Android: Coming soon): On a suspicious money request, copy and pay stay locked for 5 seconds, to break the scam's rush. **What Bipe does not solve here:** The seal helps only when the real person is verified. If they have no seal, Bipe shows that the account is new and not in your contacts, but it cannot tell who is on the other side. Bipe only protects the chats that happen in Bipe. If someone in the family still uses another app, a scammer can write to them there. ## Who describes this scam - [Glossário de Tipologias de Fraudes e Golpes Digitais](https://www.gov.br/mj/pt-br/assuntos/alianca-nacional-de-combate-a-fraudes-bancarias-digitais/glossario_final_iniciativa_1-8_v10.pdf) (Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública e Febraban (Aliança Nacional de Combate a Fraudes Bancárias Digitais)) - [Alguém te pedindo dinheiro pelo Zap?](https://portal.febraban.org.br/DetalheAntifraude/18/pt-br/) (Febraban) - [Golpe do Whatsapp](https://portal.febraban.org.br/DetalheAntifraude/7/pt-br/) (Febraban) ## Other common scams - [Fake relative](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-relative-scam/) - [Taken number or account](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/cloned-number-scam/) - [Fake bank call centre](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-bank-call-scam/) - [Pix and fake boleto](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/pix-scam/) - [Fake shop](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-shop-scam/) - [Threats with your data](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/threat-scam/) - ["I sent you a code by mistake"](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/code-by-mistake-scam/) - [Romance scam](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/romance-scam/) - [Fake lawyer](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-lawyer-scam/) - [Fake government body](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-government-scam/) - [Fake delivery fee](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-delivery-fee-scam/) - [Fake job and task scam](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/task-job-scam/) - [Fake support](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-support-scam/) - [Fake second-hand sale](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-seller-scam/) - [Fake buyer and fake receipt](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-receipt-scam/) - [Fake rental](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-rental-scam/) - [Wrong Pix](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/wrong-pix-scam/) - [Fake boleto](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-boleto-scam/) - [Fake loan](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-loan-scam/) - [Fake investment](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-investment-scam/) - [Betting and "tigrinho"](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/betting-scam/) - [Fake link](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-link-scam/) - [Phantom hand and fake app](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/remote-access-scam/) - [SIM swap](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/sim-swap-scam/) - [Fake kidnapping](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-kidnapping-scam/) - [Sextortion](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/sextortion-scam/) - [Group chat scam](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/group-chat-scam/) - [Fake fundraiser](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-charity-scam/) - [Scams in Brazil in numbers](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/) ## Where these numbers come from Researched on 13 October 2026. We only use numbers that have a source. Surveys by a company or a private association are marked as such. - [Pesquisa de vitimização e percepção sobre violência e segurança pública 2025](https://publicacoes.forumseguranca.org.br/server/api/core/bitstreams/33ed3320-fc11-45f9-a909-ed69eba48cfd/content) (Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública e Datafolha, 2025-08) - [Glossário de Tipologias de Fraudes e Golpes Digitais](https://www.gov.br/mj/pt-br/assuntos/alianca-nacional-de-combate-a-fraudes-bancarias-digitais/glossario_final_iniciativa_1-8_v10.pdf) (Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública e Febraban (Aliança Nacional de Combate a Fraudes Bancárias Digitais), 2025-10) - [Golpe do Whatsapp](https://portal.febraban.org.br/DetalheAntifraude/7/pt-br/) (Febraban, 2025-01-21) - [Alguém te pedindo dinheiro pelo Zap?](https://portal.febraban.org.br/DetalheAntifraude/18/pt-br/) (Febraban, 2026-01-14) ## Download - Install on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/k3ycEfzk (Test version, through Apple TestFlight.) - Download for Android: https://bipe.chat/baixar/android/bipe.apk (Test version. Download the file and open it on your phone. Android asks you to allow the install. Notifications do not work yet.) An experiment by Envisioning: https://envisioning.com ## Source code - iPhone app: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-ios - Android app: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-android - App rules and text: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-shared - Invites and @ directory: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-api - This site: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-web - Colours and styles: https://github.com/bipe-chat/compound-design-tokens - On-device scam model: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-ml - Business bridge and inbox: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-business