burla
Published 3 November 2026, 17:05
burla (fraud)
The Portuguese word for fraud: someone is tricked into doing something that makes them lose money. It is a crime under the criminal code, and the same word appears in police reports and newspaper headlines. When the deception is carried out through a website, an app or a payment system, it has its own name, burla informática, but in everyday speech both are simply called burla.
Where you come across it. Reporting to the PSP or GNR after the money has gone; talking to your bank about a payment taken from your account; news about fake emails, calls and websites.
Burla is about deception, not poor service: if you did not like the product or the shop is slow to give a refund, that is not burla but a matter for the complaints book and a dispute with the seller. You report burla to the PSP (in towns) or the GNR (outside towns), but your first call should be to your bank: it is the bank, not the police, that blocks your card and account.
Official website: diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/48-1995-185720