President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and presidential challenger Flavio Bolsonaro are competing over responses to cellphone theft before Brazil’s runoff, Reuters reported, as stolen devices can expose owners to bank account losses.
The Brazilian Public Security Forum’s 2026 yearbook counted 830,890 phones taken in thefts and robberies in 2025 across 792,284 incidents. Its figures show that phone thefts have declined since 2023, though the crime remains an election issue.
For victims, the cost can be substantial even without bank fraud. A cellphone sold for an average of 2,310 reais in 2025, market researcher IDC said, about two-thirds of average monthly income. The Forum reported that fraud involving stolen devices more than quadrupled from 2024 to 2025.
Sao Paulo content creator Tabata Lenk told Reuters that assailants broke her car window while she was stopped in traffic in late August and took her phone. She said 2,000 reais was later taken from her bank account through Pix, Brazil’s instant payment system. Lenk said she resumed driving alone only after tinting her car windows.
Lula signed a law earlier in 2026 raising the maximum prison term for stealing electronics to 10 years. He also launched a platform for registering devices and reporting thefts. Bolsonaro has proposed a minimum eight-year term for cellphone thieves, Reuters reported.
Sao Paulo accounted for 268,184 phones taken in 2025, nearly a third of the national total, according to the Forum, citing state data. Sao Paulo state police said they recovered 38,028 phones from June 2025 through Sept. 23, 2026, and returned 11,445 to owners.
Voters choose between Lula and Bolsonaro in the Oct. 25 runoff.
