A study by Certta, in partnership with Nexus, Pesquisa e Inteligência de Dados, reveals how Brazilians talk about digital fraud and scams, and what they look for when it comes to security, across social media, search engines, and Reddit.
Between January and July 2026, more than 60,000 mentions and 44 million interactions were analyzed. The data points to a striking pattern: the conversation about fraud is still predominantly reactive. In many cases, people only start looking for information after the problem has already happened.
That said, there is no single narrative about digital fraud and scams. On Instagram, conversations tend to focus on individual vulnerability. On X, demands for corporate transparency and accountability take center stage. On Reddit, posts explore the balance between security and the experience of users who have to go through verification processes.
The most frequent questions relate to scams that have already taken place and how to report them, while prevention still takes up a smaller share of the conversation.
The study also shows that concepts such as cybersecurity, fraud prevention, and identity protection are still blurred in the public's mind. This overlap raises an important question: if prevention isn't part of the conversation before a digital crime happens, at what point does it become part of the journey?
"Reacting to fraud after it happens will always cost more, both in money and in customer trust," says Rodrigo Lattaro, CMO of Certta.
The Digital Trust Map is the first in a series of studies that aim to track how society perceives, researches, and responds to changes in the digital environment. This first edition takes a deep dive into the main narratives that emerge, the impact of distrust on companies that must balance protection, experience, and conversion, and current events that may shape this perception.
Get the free map, with full technical analysis