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Phone theft in Brazil: 792,000 cases in 2025 and Celular Seguro

Brazil logged 792,000 phone robberies and thefts in 2025. What the data shows, how London compares and how IMEI blocking and Celular Seguro help.

2026-10-31

Brazil's 20th Public Security Yearbook, released by the Brazilian Forum on Public Security (FBSP) on July 23, 2026, recorded 792,284 phone robberies and thefts in 2025, or 371.2 per 100,000 people, down from 855,113 in 2024 (CNN Brasil).

What does the 2025 data show?

Indicator	2024	2025	Change
Robberies (violence or threat)	377,787	308,723	-18.6%
Thefts (no violence)	477,326	483,581	+0.9%

Rio de Janeiro was the only state where robberies rose (+19.4%). Six in ten phones were stolen without the owner noticing, which makes fast blocking critical. São Luís, Belém and São Paulo rank among the cities with the highest rates (Olhar Digital).

Does Celular Seguro work?

The federal service, launched in December 2023, lets victims or a trusted contact block the line, partner banking apps and the device at once. It had 3.8 million users by February 2026 and received 98,786 block requests in 2025, up from 93,626 in 2024 (Olhar Digital). A 2025 Recovery Mode can keep the IMEI active so the device can be traced (Agência Gov). Compared with nearly 800,000 incidents, most victims still don't use it.

How do you block a phone by IMEI?

Per Anatel, ask your carrier (or the police in participating states) to add the IMEI to the national blocklist. Dial *#06# now to note your IMEI, and check a used phone's status on Anatel's portal before buying.

Is it a global problem?

Yes. About 80,000 phones were stolen in London in 2024, and in October 2025 the Met announced 46 arrests and the disruption of a gang suspected of shipping up to 40,000 stolen phones to China in a year (Euronews).

Why is phone theft also a financial crime?

Olhar Digital notes that phones attract criminals both for resale of parts and for possible access to banking apps; the payoff grows when the thief also obtains passwords or unlock codes. That is why protecting the phone means protecting Pix, Brazil's instant payment system. Brazil's Central Bank already caps transfers from unregistered devices and at night, but those limits only help if your own settings are tight.

What to do if your phone is stolen in Brazil

Request a block through Celular Seguro (website or app on another device), or ask a registered trusted contact to do it.
Call your bank to block accounts and cards.
Ask your carrier to block the line and the IMEI.
Use the manufacturer's tool to locate the device and wipe data.
File a police report and change email and social media passwords.

Note on method: CNN Brasil reports a 7.7% drop, and Olhar Digital's headline cited 830,890 cases, a figure that does not match the breakdown by crime type used here.