# Fake relative scam: how it works and what to do · Bipe

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.

**The fake relative scam: "I changed my number"**

## The numbers

- **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](https://cetic.br/media/docs/publicacoes/2/pt-br/20260831092525/PRIVACIDADE_2025_RE%20PT.pdf))
- **73,000** reports of the "WhatsApp scam" to banks (first half of 2025. Source: [Febraban](https://portal.febraban.org.br/noticia/4381/pt-br/))
- **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](https://cetic.br/media/docs/publicacoes/2/pt-br/20260831092525/PRIVACIDADE_2025_RE%20PT.pdf))

## 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?](https://proseio.com.br/en/features/is-that-really-mom/) (iPhone: Coming soon; Android: Coming soon): If the contact saved as Mum has a different verified name, the app asks if it is the same person.
- [Scam warnings](https://proseio.com.br/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.
- [Message requests](https://proseio.com.br/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.
- [A pause before paying](https://proseio.com.br/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.

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

- [Taken number or account](https://proseio.com.br/en/scams-in-brazil/cloned-number-scam/)
- [Fake bank call centre](https://proseio.com.br/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-bank-call-scam/)
- [Pix and fake boleto](https://proseio.com.br/en/scams-in-brazil/pix-scam/)
- [Fake shop](https://proseio.com.br/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-shop-scam/)
- [Threats with your data](https://proseio.com.br/en/scams-in-brazil/threat-scam/)
- [Scams in Brazil in numbers](https://proseio.com.br/en/scams-in-brazil/)

## 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.

- [Privacidade e proteção de dados pessoais 2025, resumo executivo](https://cetic.br/media/docs/publicacoes/2/pt-br/20260831092525/PRIVACIDADE_2025_RE%20PT.pdf) (Cetic.br, NIC.br e CGI.br, 2026-08-31)
- [Golpe da Falsa Venda é o mais aplicado contra clientes bancários no 1º semestre do ano](https://portal.febraban.org.br/noticia/4381/pt-br/) (Febraban, 2025-11-11)


## Download

- Install on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/KUnUX9Mz (Test version, through Apple TestFlight.)
- Android: coming soon: The Android version has not started yet. Leave your email and we will tell you when it is out. contact@envisioning.com

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