Brazilian Banks Warn of Mother's Day Shopping Scams, Issue 10 Safety Tips

Overview

• Febraban, Brazil’s banking federation, issued a pre–Mother’s Day alert with ten concrete steps to avoid fraud during the rush to buy gifts online and in stores.
• The group flags fake retailer websites and lookalike domains that swap letters or add characters to trick buyers into entering card details or making payments.
• Scammers also set up new social media storefronts with sponsored posts and bogus five-star comments to sell nonexistent deals and harvest personal data.
• In person, two schemes are common: a card swap after a thief watches the PIN entry, and a payment terminal with a blocked or damaged screen that hides an inflated charge.
• Febraban urges simple checks that cut risk, including typing official URLs, using virtual cards for online buys, inserting your own card and confirming the amount on the machine, and verifying Pix or boleto recipient data before sending money.