Brazil is a world leader in phishing, an email scam to obtain your data, passwords, or money directly. The lack of oversight and laws generates impunity for digital crimes in Brazil. How?
• Prize: You receive an unexpected prize, usually followed by a request to act immediately because the promotion is limited. By clicking on the site, you find that it is a copy of the original, and you end up leaving your email and password on the criminals’ site. Even if you have created a new account on a site, the criminals will try to use this password to access your email or bank, and they may also ask for confirmations similar to those from your bank to obtain numerical codes or security questions.
• Overdue Account: You receive an email saying you need to pay a bill or take some urgent action. They may direct the user to a site to steal email and password or may ask for direct payment of a boleto or an amount on a credit card;
• Fake Email: Sending an email pretending to be a friend or even a colleague from your work is possible. Hackers use this technique to ask you to click on a link, download a file, or log in to a fake site to carry out their attacks. They can replicate sites like Google Docs, Dropbox, or any other famous site. By 
downloading a malicious file, it can allow the hacker to access your computer or record everything you type, for example;
• Friend Request from Your Friend Who Was Already Your Friend: Hackers today use a technique called “Social Engineering” where they study the victim to know what they like, what they do, and who they associate with. From there, they can create a social account copying a friend’s profile and request friendship from you. This account aims to gain your trust to ask you to click on a link, download a file, or send money to help your friend; • People with Common Interests: Hackers also try to approach people by seeking what they are looking for – a relationship, a loan, or a job, offering exactly what the person wants to get closer and execute their scam;
• Hacked Account Alert Asking You to Log In via a Fake Link: You receive a message from your email provider or social network warning that your account is in danger and that you need to change your password or confirm an access that seems suspicious. These are bait to get you to navigate to a fake site;
• Weak Passwords That Can Be Tested with Software Using Your Personal and Family Information: There are software programs that can try thousands of passwords per minute. Generally, hackers take keywords and dates related to you and your family to increase the chances of success.
• Insecure Wifi: You sit in a café called XYZ, turn on your laptop, and see a wireless network called XYZ. You think this café has free wifi for customers. However, it is an internet network from a nearby laptop that allows you to connect to it and read all the information being transmitted;
• Cameras: Cameras can be used in popular places around a business to record passwords created by users;
• Outdated Systems: Outdated operating systems may contain security flaws that are easy targets for hackers to control your machine and steal your data. Fernando Azevedo from Silicon Minds adds: “If you want to start protecting yourself, the first fundamental step is to enable two-factor authentication on your email, banks, and social networks. This way, you receive a message with a code every time the platforms detect any unfamiliar access.”
Itamar Serpa, an entrepreneur and tech-savvy individual, emphasizes the importance of increasing the security of computers in your company and training your employees to be alert to scams: “You can search on search engines how to activate two-factor authentication on the platforms you use.”
Source: Clozel Comunicação