Amid a surge in overseas real-estate investment, Rio de Janeiro’s municipal finance department on 24 October 2025 published a bilingual verification checklist designed to stop a wave of fake ITBI (property-transfer tax) payment schemes that have targeted expatriates buying apartments in beachfront neighbourhoods. Fraudsters have been sending WhatsApp “boleto” links that mimic the city’s tax portal, tricking newcomers into wiring thousands of reais to private accounts.
The new three-page checklist, available in Portuguese and English, instructs buyers and notaries to: (1) generate ITBI guides only through the official prefeitura portal, (2) verify QR codes against the city’s digital-certificate hash, (3) demand an automatically issued protocol receipt, and (4) cross-check the cadastral reference with the deeds registry.
Real-estate brokers estimate that at least 40 cases—totalling more than R$ 9 million—have been reported since July, mostly involving foreign executives relocating for energy and tech projects. The city said it is working with the Civil Police cyber-crime unit and banks to freeze suspicious accounts within 24 hours.
For mobility teams, the guidance is a practical tool to share with inbound assignees who purchase rather than rent accommodation. Companies should incorporate the checklist into relocation handbooks and insist that buyers use licensed conveyancing attorneys. Violations of Brazil’s anti-laundering rules can expose corporate assignees to penalties even when they are victims of fraud.
The new three-page checklist, available in Portuguese and English, instructs buyers and notaries to: (1) generate ITBI guides only through the official prefeitura portal, (2) verify QR codes against the city’s digital-certificate hash, (3) demand an automatically issued protocol receipt, and (4) cross-check the cadastral reference with the deeds registry.
Real-estate brokers estimate that at least 40 cases—totalling more than R$ 9 million—have been reported since July, mostly involving foreign executives relocating for energy and tech projects. The city said it is working with the Civil Police cyber-crime unit and banks to freeze suspicious accounts within 24 hours.
For mobility teams, the guidance is a practical tool to share with inbound assignees who purchase rather than rent accommodation. Companies should incorporate the checklist into relocation handbooks and insist that buyers use licensed conveyancing attorneys. Violations of Brazil’s anti-laundering rules can expose corporate assignees to penalties even when they are victims of fraud.
