Contrary to expectations, the results indicated that high levels of social cohesion among Brazilian neighbors actually increased the perceived risk of victimization. On the other hand, while neighborhood disorder was found to increase violent victimization, it did not increase residents’ perceived risk of victimization. The authors suggest that social cohesion, rather than lowering levels of crime in a neighborhood as it has been shown to do in the United States, works to increase fear of victimization in Brazilian neighborhoods through the greater spread of information. Neighbors come together to talk and, as a result, more information about criminal incidents occurring in the neighborhood is passed through word of mouth, increasing fear of crime. Aside from its effect on perceived risk of victimization, the analysis revealed no statistical association between social cohesion and neighborhood crime. The authors contend that their findings should serve as a warning against being overly optimistic about conclusions regarding the beneficial effects of enhancing social cohesion. Data were drawn from a survey of 3,873 adults in a Brazilian city. Survey questions provided for measures of social cohesion, neighborhood crime and disorder, and perceived risk of crime. Two- and three-level regression models were employed to analyze the data. Tables, figures, notes, references