Profile of cybercrime incidents recorded at specialized police stations in Pernambuco, between 2022 and 2023

Abstract

This study focused on cybercrime, the newest form of violence in the digital world. A cyberattack can occur virtually every second of the day. Brazil is one of the countries most affected by cyberattacks. In the state of Pernambuco, the city of Recife accounted for over 60% of the reported cyberattacks during the period analyzed. The objective is to describe the cybercrimes registered at the cybercrime Repressiona Police Station in the state of Pernambuco, from January 2022 to December 2023, based on the profile, frequency, and types of crimes. This is a descriptive and exploratory cross-sectional study conducted using records from the Pernambuco Department of Social Defense, relating to incidents registered at the Cybercrime Repression Unit in Recife, Pernambuco. The sociodemographic variables of the victims and related to the crimes were collected from October to December 2024. The results recorded were 3,682 crimes of various criminal nature. 92.8% (n = 1,786) were considered cybercrimes for the year 2022 and 90.3% (n = 1,587) for 2023. The cybercrimes fraud, electronic fraud and false identity/ideological falsehood stood out with the highest number of occurrences.