When a thief steals your phone from one of the largest cities in Brazil, Sao Paulo, it is natural to think that they will disconnect it to sell its parts for profit. However, the opposite is true in this city, where Brazilian thieves are looking for victims who own phones not to sell them, but to access the content of these devices.
Thieves have come to realize that accessing the owner’s banking information is more profitable than selling phone parts. They don’t want your iPhone, they want your banking details. Reports in the Brazilian media indicate that iPhone thefts in Brazil are increasing. Thieves often ride motorcycles to steal pedestrians’ phones, which end up on the black market or are dismantled and sold as spare parts.
What is happening now is that thieves specialize in accessing the content on these phones and gaining access to the owners’ bank accounts. According to the police chief of Sao Paulo, thieves prefer stealing from people using their mobile phones on the street because the information on the phones is more valuable than the phones themselves. Many Brazilian users do not take security measures to protect their phones, making it easier for thieves.
The Brazilian Bank Federation defends itself by stating that all its applications are secure and they regularly work on security updates. Therefore, how these criminals access bank accounts remains a mystery.
It is strongly advised for all smartphone owners to use security measures such as passwords, fingerprint readers, or Face ID. The more problems thieves face in accessing the contents of smartphones, the harder it is for them to access all our data.
