Is buying followers a crime? What Brazilian law says
Direct answer: there is no criminal offense in Brazilian law that describes "buying followers" as a crime. What does exist is a violation of terms of use for the platforms — a private contract between you and the company, whose consequence is enforced by the platform itself, not by the State. These are two different things, and confusing them is the most common mistake on this topic. This text is informational and is not legal advice.
The short version
- A crime is conduct described in criminal law. Buying followers isn't described in any.
- A violation of terms of use is a breach of contract with the platform; the platform is what punishes it.
- The use of the inflated number can have legal consequences — the act of buying, on its own, does not.
- Law 15,325/2026 regulates the multimedia profession and doesn't address buying followers.
- When the matter involves an advertising contract, the discussion moves out of criminal law and into consumer and civil law.
Is buying followers a crime in Brazil?
There's no corresponding criminal offense. Under Brazilian law, a crime is conduct that the law describes in advance and attaches a penalty to — the full catalog is in the Criminal Code and in specific criminal statutes. "Hiring a follower-count boost" doesn't appear in any of them.
That doesn't mean the practice is free of consequences. It means the likely consequence doesn't come from a police station or a criminal case: it comes from the platform.
What's the difference between a crime and a violation of terms of use?
Terms of use are a contract. When you create an account, you accept the company's rules. If you break them, the company applies the sanction set out in its own contract — removing content, removing accounts, restricting features, terminating the profile. None of that goes through the State, and none of it is a criminal penalty.
Meta is explicit about this when describing its inauthentic behavior policy in the Transparency Center: it's a platform rule, with a platform consequence. Reading it as if it were criminal law is the mistake that shows up in almost all content on this topic.
| Situation | Nature | Who enforces the consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Buying followers for your own profile | Violation of terms of use | The platform (removal of inauthentic accounts, restrictions) |
| Selling a growth service | Commercial activity not classified as a crime | Platform rules and the contract between the parties |
| Presenting an inflated number to close a paid sponsorship | Can become a consumer or civil matter | The courts and consumer protection agencies |
| Accessing someone else's account without authorization | Conduct addressed by criminal law | The State |
| Handing your password to a provider | Not a crime on your part — it's a risk of losing the account | No one bails you out afterward |
In what situation can this turn into a legal problem?
The turning point is never the purchase. It's what you do with the number afterward.
If someone uses an inflated count to convince a brand to pay for a post, presenting that number as a real, reachable audience, the discussion stops being about terms of use. It starts involving the information given to the client, and that's where the Consumer Protection Code and general civil liability rules come in. If there's deliberate deception to gain an advantage, the analysis can move into criminal territory — but that depends entirely on the specific case and on evidence, and it's not something you can state as a blanket rule about "anyone who buys followers."
The practical difference is simple to state: buying followers so your profile isn't an empty storefront is one thing. Selling a brand reach that doesn't exist is another. It's the same distinction behind the guide on whether it's safe to buy Instagram followers — the risk changes based on how it's used, not on the provider.
Did Law 15,325/2026 change anything about this?
Not on this point. Law No. 15,325, of January 6, 2026 governs the practice of the multimedia profession: it defines who that professional is, lists duties such as creating and managing content and social media, and addresses ties with companies. It has six articles. There's no provision on buying followers, on metrics or on advertising, and the law creates no penalty for any of that.
It's worth reading for what it actually does — giving professional recognition to people who work with content — not for what the rumor mill says. The full breakdown is in the article on Law 15,325 and digital influencer work.
What guides the advertising market today is the requirement to label paid content as advertising. That doesn't come from this law, and it applies no matter the follower count.
What this does NOT fix
Knowing it's not a crime doesn't eliminate the risk. The platform can still remove inauthentic accounts, and the count can still drop. "Not a crime" and "no consequences" are two different statements. What you can do is lower your exposure by choosing more carefully what you buy, and the criteria we apply for that are on our quality criteria page.
It also doesn't replace professional advice. If your situation involves a signed contract with a brand, a dispute over delivered results, or anything similar, that's a conversation for a lawyer, not a social media panel. Feira Social sells growth services and doesn't provide legal opinions.
And it doesn't change the underlying recommendation: for anyone who needs measurable sales, buying followers isn't the way to go. It fixes initial perception, and that's the full extent of what it does.
Frequently asked questions
Can I be sued for buying followers?
For the purchase itself, there's no criminal offense that describes the conduct. What can trigger a legal dispute is using the inflated number to gain an advantage over someone — an advertising contract, for example. In that case, what's at issue is the information given to the client, not the act of buying the service. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can the platform ban my account for this?
It can apply the sanctions set out in its own terms, which range from removing inauthentic accounts to restricting a profile's features. That's a private decision made by the company, and it doesn't require a lawsuit. It's the real, concrete risk for anyone who buys, and it exists with any provider.
Is buying followers illegal, or just banned by the social network?
Banned by the social network. "Illegal" is often used as a synonym for "crime," and that's not the case here. The ban is written into the contract you accepted when you created the account, and it's the platform that enforces it.
Do I need to disclose that I bought followers?
Not specified — we didn't find any specific legal requirement to that effect. What does exist in the advertising market is the requirement to label paid content as advertising, which is a different thing. In a contract with a brand, the prudent approach is not to present numbers as real reach when they aren't.
The next step
If your goal is presentation — a new profile, a low count, a bad first impression — the decision that matters is about quantity and the refill window, and both are covered on the Instagram followers page. If your question was about engagement on specific posts, the criteria are different and covered on the Instagram likes page. And if at any point the conversation involves a signed contract with a brand, talk to a lawyer before signing, not after.