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Scams in Brazil in numbers · Fake relative

The fake relative scam: "I changed my number"

A message arrives from a new number, with the photo of your son, your mother or a friend. Soon after comes a Pix request, always in a rush. Here is how the scam works, how to spot it and what to do.

39%

of internet users say someone tried to scam a family member using another relative's data

2025 · Source: Cetic.br, NIC.br e CGI.br

73,000

reports of the "WhatsApp scam" to banks

first half of 2025 · Source: Febraban

84%

of people who had a scam attempt with their own data were approached on a messaging app

2025 · Source: Cetic.br, NIC.br e CGI.br

How it works

  1. The scammer takes the name and photo of someone in your family from social media or leaked data.
  2. They write from a new number: "Hi Mum, I changed my number. Save this one."
  3. They chat for a while to gain trust, sometimes with real family details.
  4. Then they ask for a Pix to pay an urgent bill, almost always to someone else's account.

How to spot it

  • The person says they changed number and soon asks for money.
  • The Pix goes to an account in someone else's name.
  • The person cannot take a call or send a voice message.
  • There is a rush: the bill is due today, the bank app froze, it is only until tomorrow.

What to do

  • Call the person on the old number, the one you already had saved, before you pay.
  • Ask a question only that person can answer.
  • Already paid? Talk to your bank at once and ask for MED, the Pix refund mechanism. Then file a police report.
  • Tell the family and the person whose name and photo were used.

How Bipe helps

Bipe is made so you know who is on the other side. Not everything is ready: each item shows where it stands on iPhone and Android.

Is that really Mom?

If the contact saved as Mum has a different verified name, the app asks if it is the same person.

iPhone: Coming soon · Android: Coming soon

Scam warnings

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.

iPhone: In the test app · Android: In development

Message requests

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.

iPhone: In the test app · Android: In development

A pause before paying

On a suspicious money request, copy and pay stay locked for 5 seconds, to break the scam's rush.

iPhone: Coming soon · Android: Coming soon

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.

Other common scams

Scams in Brazil in numbers

Where these numbers come from

Researched on 12 October 2026. We only use numbers that have a source. Surveys by a company or a private association are marked as such.