# Pix and fake boleto scams: how they work and what to do · Bipe

The boleto looks real, but the money goes to the scammer's account. With Pix, the key or the QR code is swapped. And a screenshot of a receipt does not prove the money arrived.

**Pix and fake boleto scams**

## The numbers

- **R$ 1,198** is what each victim of a Pix or fake boleto scam lost on average (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))
- **14.3%** of Brazilians aged 16 or older lost money to a Pix or fake boleto scam (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$ 28.8 billion** lost to Pix or fake boleto scams, 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))
- **42.9 million** people, as the survey estimates, had a scam attempt asking for a Pix or a boleto payment (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 sends a fake boleto by message or e-mail, or swaps the Pix key or the QR code of a bill.
2. In another version, they say they sent you a Pix by mistake and ask you to send it back.
3. They can also send a screenshot of a receipt for a payment that never happened.
4. Pix arrives at once, so the money leaves the scammer's account fast.

## How to spot it

- The name that shows when you pay is not the name of who billed you.
- A boleto you did not expect arrives by message.
- Someone asks you to return a Pix "sent by mistake".
- The only proof that they paid is a screenshot.

## What to do

- Before you pay, check the name and the bank on the screen.
- Check in your bank app that the money arrived. A screenshot does not prove payment.
- Got a Pix by mistake? Return it only with the refund button in the bank app, never to another key.
- Fell for it? Talk to your bank at once and ask for MED, the Pix refund mechanism. Then 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.

- [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.
- [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.

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/)
- [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.

- [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)


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- 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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