I've been robbed 8 times in 30 years in Brazil. From having my watch stolen at 14 by someone with a broken glass to the carjack I talked about previously. My family and close friends, for the most part, have been robbed, kidnapped or carjacked 0 times.
It is a numbers game. I, unfortunately, have been on the unlucky side. It is one of the main reasons I left for Canada.
So while I do agree that is not something that happens every day to your circle of known people, it does happen more often than it should even if you are not on the high crime zones.
And I'm not even from Rio or the most dangerous cities, I'm from Belo Horizonte which, for Brazilian standards, is actually considered more on the safer side for bigger cities.
... where we have to remind people not to leaving their running, unlocked cars unattended or they might get stolen. Must have been quite a change for you!
Nothing new. Didn't increased. São Paulo cases are a novelty because it's really a "well" thought/planned method with specific personas to attack. It's not just a random person in the streets.
And it shows that men are as fragile as women in these emotional tricks. (and we should understand them better as part of this increased awareness)
This is why this Tinder scam is extra dangerous, as it’s baiting men to go alone to a non public location to meet an unknown woman.