Fake stores and Pix fraud top Black Friday 2026 scams in Brazil

Artificial intelligence is making digital scams during Black Friday harder to detect, and many victims only realize the fraud when the purchase never arrives.

A Serasa survey from October 2026 places fake websites at the top of the list of scams, cited by 53% of respondents. Fraud through Pix, Brazil’s instant payment system, comes next at 42%, and phishing messages also appear often.

How AI helps criminals make scams more believable

AI tools make it easy to produce ads, images and pages that copy legitimate stores. Arthur Igreja, a technology specialist, said that artificial intelligence makes frauds “more sophisticated and convincing”, including through manipulated images, audio and video of public figures.

Social engineering schemes account for 40% of the signs of financial fraud in Brazil, according to Agência Brasil. In the first half of 2026, there were more than 9 million suspicious or confirmed occurrences, a rise of 10.26% over the previous semester.

Criminals use AI to write flawless texts, personalize messages with the victim’s name and copy the visual identity of well-known stores. The old advice to look for spelling mistakes has lost force, and a Serasa survey on 2026 frauds found that 84% of respondents believe AI makes scams more convincing.

Discounts of 80% or 90% should raise suspicion

Offers with discounts of 80% or 90% deserve caution. Paniago advised shoppers to research the price beforehand, noting that “Black Friday in Brazil is different from the one in the United States” and that discounts of 80% or 90% are rare.

Before buying, check the store’s history and the number of payment options. Reclame Aqui, a consumer complaints platform, offers a Detector de Sites that shows how long a website has been active, where it is hosted and which complaints it has received.

Give priority to official channels and avoid links sent by email, SMS or messages. Use a virtual card and check the web address letter by letter. Reclame Aqui lists payment without delivery (67%) and fake sites (30%) as the most common scams.

Price tracking and store reputation checks before checkout

Track prices weeks before the date and use comparison sites to confirm that a discount is real. Look up the store’s reputation on Reclame Aqui and read customer reviews before adding any item to the cart.

Be wary of stores that accept only Pix or boleto. Prefer a virtual credit card, which can be blocked after payment, and review the cart and the shipping cost before finishing the purchase.

Check the web address letter by letter and use the Detector de Site Confiável for links received by message. Share personal data only on official sites with an encrypted connection.

Steps to take after a scam, from gathering proof to reporting the bank

Gather proof of the transaction, such as the store link, screenshots of the fake profile and payment receipts. Register a police report and notify the bank or payment institution as quickly as possible.

Black Friday 2026 requires constant checking, because AI removes old warning signs such as spelling errors. Consumers should confirm every offer on the store’s official website and track the order after payment.

Surveys show that 87% of consumers intend to use AI to compare prices, yet 63% cannot identify fake ads generated by algorithms. Exposure to AI-driven fraud rose from 26% in 2025 to 32% in 2026.