- Filipinos who fall victim to online scams are more likely to report incidents to technology platforms than law enforcement, highlighting the gap between reporting fraud and recovering stolen money.
- According to the GSMA ASEAN Consumer Scam Report 2026, 49% of Filipino scam victims reported incidents directly to technology platforms, compared with 16% who went to the police.
- The Philippines also recorded the highest level of concern over online security among the Southeast Asian markets covered by the report, with 76% of consumers expressing deep anxiety about digital threats.
Filipinos who fall victim to online scams are more likely to report incidents to technology platforms than law enforcement, highlighting the gap between reporting fraud and recovering stolen money.
According to the GSMA ASEAN Consumer Scam Report 2026, 49% of Filipino scam victims reported incidents directly to technology platforms, compared with 16% who went to the police.
The Philippines also recorded the highest level of concern over online security among the Southeast Asian markets covered by the report, with 76% of consumers expressing deep anxiety about digital threats.
Investment and cryptocurrency scams made up 41% of Filipino scam cases, the highest share among the six Southeast Asian markets surveyed and above the regional average of 29%.
The impact of scams also extends to how consumers use digital services. About 24% of Filipino consumers said they switched service providers after losing trust, while 62% said they actively avoided suspicious digital communications or financial transactions.
Recovering lost money remains a major challenge. The report found that 82% of scam victims across Southeast Asia who lost money recovered nothing.
The figures highlight the importance of reporting scams promptly while also showing that reporting an incident does not necessarily translate into recovering the money lost.