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During the Covid19 unprecedented crisis, the Brazilian federal and local governments enacted various measures to support public health systems, safeguard the economy and ensure public order and safety. Criminals have been quick to seize opportunities to exploit the crisis by adapting their modus operandi or engaging in new criminal activities.
The current developments of the new crime landscape fall mainly into Cybercrime, Counterfeit healthcare and sanitary products and above all Fraud and Extorsion. However, traditional crimes did not disappear.
CYBERCRIME
Criminals have used the COVID-19 crisis to carry out social engineering attacks themed around the pandemic to distribute malware packages and ransomware. Russian company Kaspersky placed Brazil among the five most hit by ransomware in 2020. Brute force attacks, when a hacker tries to obtain a user’s password, rose by 330% in the country, with a peak at the beginning of the pandemic.
FRAUD AND EXTORTION
In 2020, 28.017 cases of larceny were recorded in Rio de Janeiro state from January to July. In 2021, it jumped to 34.995 records. However, these values were highly influenced by the number of virtual larcenies, which increased 65% in the first six months of 2021 when compared to 2020. In São Paulo, the trend is similar.
- Express Kidnapping using Pix
Express kidnapping is a well-known crime in Brazil, and now, with PIX, it is increasing further. Differently from the most common modality, in which criminals retains the victim and take them to several ATMs, with PIX, they keep the victim and order them to transfer money using the instant payment system from the Central Bank of Brazil allowing transfers from one banking account to another in real-time, 24/7.
- The Maquininha Scam
The Maquininha scam takes place in payments made via credit card. Criminals working in common jobs hand a credit card machine with a broken screen to the victims to make the payment. The amount is overcharged. Normally, the credit card machine has a broken screen, but sometimes, the criminals turn off the screen, connect the machine to a cell phone, and show the value on the mobile screen.
- The Motoboy Scam
In it, a criminal passing as a bank employee, call the victim and inform that their credit card was cloned, and it should be recovered by the bank. They collect some data from the victim and then send a motorcyclist to take the credit cards.
- Fake and fraudulent investments
In September, the Federal Police dismantled a fake bitcoin investment agency that promised 10% monthly revenue but paid its clients using a Ponzi scheme. Nevertheless, it was not the only group that has been arrested for the crime. Each week, a new criminal scheme is discovered using different types of assets.
“TRADITIONAL” MISAPPROPRIATION OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ASSETS ARE RISING
“Traditional” crimes against property still exist and some are rising due to the degradation of the economy and the decrease of criminal sources of profit.
- Theft of Public Patrimony
Even though it is not a major threat to the population, theft of public patrimony is inconvenient due to the worsening of public services such as lighting, traffic, and transportation. In Rio de Janeiro, stops due to cable theft started happening on a daily basis. A task force had to be assembled to assist Rio de Janeiro’s train system.
- “Boa noite, Cinderela”
Scopolamine (also known as “burundanga” or “Boa noite, Cinderela”) is a substance used by criminals to eliminate their victims’ personal will. Offenders use the drug mainly in pubs and nightclubs to steal or rape their victims. The substance is usually a powder that can be dissolved in drinks. Several arrests were made in September in Rio de Janeiro and in São Paulo relating to its use to commit crimes.
- Robberies with or without intrusion
In São Paulo, cases of robberies in the city reached 127.844 occurrences in the first seven months of 2021, 16,5% more than in the same months of last year (148.985).
In Rio de Janeiro, data from the Public Security Institute showed that street robberies decreased more than 50% when compared to 2019. However, good weather is always an opportunity for criminals. As people visit the city and crowd its beaches, criminals seize the moment to commit mass robberies, snatch and run robberies, thefts and vandalism. The city’s South Zone is the hotspot for this mob of tugs and the and 22 August 2021 marked the beginning of hostilities in Copacabana.
