# Fake shop and fake sale scams: how they work and what to do · Bipe

An ad with a price far below normal, from a shop or profile you do not know. You pay and the purchase never arrives. In the national survey, it is the scam that took money from the most people.

**The fake shop scam: you pay and the purchase never arrives**

## The numbers

- **17.7%** of Brazilians aged 16 or older paid for an online purchase that never arrived, the scam that took money from the most people (Jul 2024 to Jun 2025. Source: [Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública e Datafolha](https://publicacoes.forumseguranca.org.br/server/api/core/bitstreams/33ed3320-fc11-45f9-a909-ed69eba48cfd/content))
- **174,000** reports of a fake sale to banks, the most reported scam of the half year (first half of 2025. Source: [Febraban](https://portal.febraban.org.br/noticia/4381/pt-br/))
- **R$ 446** was the mean loss of people who paid and got nothing (Jul 2024 to Jun 2025. Source: [Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública e Datafolha](https://publicacoes.forumseguranca.org.br/server/api/core/bitstreams/33ed3320-fc11-45f9-a909-ed69eba48cfd/content))
- **R$ 13.3 billion** lost to purchases paid and never delivered, as the survey estimates (Jul 2024 to Jun 2025. Source: [Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública e Datafolha](https://publicacoes.forumseguranca.org.br/server/api/core/bitstreams/33ed3320-fc11-45f9-a909-ed69eba48cfd/content))

## How it works

1. The scammer sets up a shop, a profile or an ad with products that are too cheap.
2. Sometimes they copy the name and look of a known shop.
3. They ask for payment by Pix or boleto, outside the marketplace, to give a "discount".
4. After the payment, they disappear or stop answering.

## How to spot it

- The price is far below normal.
- They take only Pix, to a personal account.
- They ask to close the sale outside the marketplace site or app.
- The profile is new, has few followers or has comments turned off.

## What to do

- Before you buy, search the shop's name and CNPJ.
- Pay through the marketplace itself, by card, when you can.
- Fell for it? Talk to your bank, ask for MED if you paid by Pix and file a police report.

## 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.

- [Verified seal](https://proseio.com.br/en/features/verified-seal/) (iPhone: Coming soon; Android: Coming soon): A seal with a name verified through Pix or gov.br, so you know who is on the other side.
- [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.
- [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

- [Fake relative](https://proseio.com.br/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-relative-scam/)
- [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/)
- [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.

- [Pesquisa de vitimização e percepção sobre violência e segurança pública 2025](https://publicacoes.forumseguranca.org.br/server/api/core/bitstreams/33ed3320-fc11-45f9-a909-ed69eba48cfd/content) (Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública e Datafolha, 2025-08)
- [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)


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