Preventive measures and responses involving digital fraud, theft, and technological means

In its 17th annual report published, the Brazilian Public Security Forum demonstrated that the number of fraud records in Brazil has grown by 326.3% since 2018. There were over 1,819,409 reported cases, and of these, more than 200,000 were records of electronic fraud.

Regarding the theft and robbery of cell phones, the scenario is no less serious, indicating an increase of 16.6% compared to 2021 and approximately 1 million devices being targeted by criminals.

The State of São Paulo leads comfortably in the recorded numbers of attempted or consummated fraud, tallying a total volume of 638,629 records in 2022. The State of São Paulo is followed by Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, with numbers of 130,755 and 123,841, respectively.

The report confirms an almost inevitable trend of intensified efforts to address issues related to the information security environment, even in private or domestic settings.

The increase in new technologies, the development of new applications, and conveniences such as Pix (instant payment system) and 100% digital accounts demonstrate the undeniable interest of criminal organizations in exploring this criminal market.

Despite the increase in cases, security recommendations mostly remain the same, with slight adjustments according to the type of incident mapped.

Maintaining the discrete use of devices on public streets and places, avoiding clicking on links and messages from unknown sources, paying attention to security features with preferably biometric passwords, and not storing them on the device, having different and strong passwords (alphanumeric and with special characters), separating bank accounts from applications and brokerages for a second device and keeping it at home, using remote wiping software, and activating, where applicable for the device, an e-Sim to keep them connected even when the criminal removes the physical chip, among other measures, remain the most applicable to the current moment.

In the post-incident phase, the recommendations are to formalize the police report registration to aid in enforcement and the construction of public policies, immediately contact banks and phone carriers, and perform a remote wipe of the device to prevent and/or mitigate the use of private information.

The annual report is rich in information and, unfortunately, also portrays the migration of crime, which is moving more and more from the physical to the digital environment.

Source: Preventive measures and responses involving digital fraud, theft, and technological means | TI INSIDE Online

By Dr. Henrique Rocha, Partner at Peck Advogados

AUTHOR

• Henrique Rocha