RIO DE JANEIRO—Cellphone crime has become a growing security crisis across Brazilian cities, with thieves targeting devices not just for resale but for access to banking and digital accounts ahead of the country's first-round presidential election on Sunday.
Eduardo Metzker, a 29-year-old software develo was robbed at gunpoint on his motorcycle in Rio de Janeiro. Two assailants on motorcycles boxed him in and demanded his phone and passcode. Using his banking applications, the thieves drained up to 80,000 reais, roughly $15,000, from his credit lines.
"You know you go out every day, earning a living, saving money, building a life and then someone sticks a gun in your face and takes everything you have. My credit rating was ruined," Metzker told AFP. He now carries a cheap phone for street use and keeps his banking device at home.
Caroline Lo Bianco, a 36-year-old dentist, had her phone taken from her through an Uber window while seven months pregnant. Even after blocking her bank cards, thieves transferred nearly $700 from a digital bank account and used her Amazon account to purchase an Xbox—which she blocked before delivery. They also used her food delivery apps to send beer, meat and McDonald's to various addresses across Rio.
The Brazilian Public Security Forum (FBSP) reported in its annual assessment that the cellphone has become emblematic of rising urban violence. A May survey by FBSP found that approximately 14 million people were victims of cellphone crime in the preceding 12 months. Police data cited in the report showed only about 830,000 cellphones were reported stolen or robbed in 2025, suggesting a substantial number of incidents go unreported.
Fear of such crimes has driven an estimated 30 percent of Brazilians—roughly 65 million people—to carry a cheap secondary phone, often called a "robber's phone," according to FBSP. The practice reflects public anxiety about financial data exposure.
Security has emerged as the top concern for Brazilians in this closely contested election. Both incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro have pledged action. Bolsonaro has promised to quadruple jail sentences for cellphone crimes. Lula has stated, "our goal is zero phone theft."
Metzker expressed skepticism. "Honestly, they can say whatever they want, I have no faith in them," he said.
Leonardo Silva, a coordinator for state and organized crime issues at FBSP, said criminal strategy has shifted. Thieves now focus on the data within devices rather than the phones' resale value. Luiz Fernando Bugiga, a prosecutor with the Special Action Group for Combating Organized Crime (GAECO), confirmed this trend.
