Brazil’s ‘fintech revolution’ has propelled the expansion of the digital economy and advanced financial inclusion, increasing access to consumer credit but also sparking record-high levels of household debt. Through multi-perspective fieldwork among women burdened by debt and professionals in the credit and fintech industry, the article examines three dimensions of opacity: (i) automated scoring models, (ii) flexible credit scoring criteria, and (iii) discretionary information in credit offers. The entrenchment of opacity generates a grey zone that limits women’s ability to assess and contest offers while myths thrive about how to navigate digital finance and improve creditworthiness. The insights challenge a narrative of financial education as a remedy to indebtedness, as deliberate information asymmetries forge debt by design.