Concerns over online scams in the Philippines are rising sharply, threatening digital trust and the country’s growing online economy, according to a new GSMA report presented at the Digital Nation Summit Manila. Findings show that 52% of Filipinos have fallen victim to scams at least once—above the ASEAN average—while 8% experienced fraud in the past year, with social media now the top channel for scammers.
The report highlights the heavy cost of fraud: 68% of victims lost money, 11% describing losses as large, while almost half reported emotional stress and 28% spent significant time resolving incidents. Overall, 96% of respondents expressed worry about scams and hacking, with 58% “very concerned,” up seven points from last year.
In response, the GSMA unveiled the Foundry Project pilot, designed to enhance collaboration between Philippine mobile operators, technology firms, and financial institutions. Using anonymized, regulator-approved datasets, the project will explore how telecom intelligence can improve scam-risk scoring on digital platforms, with a proof-of-concept scheduled for early 2026.
The mobile industry has also introduced commercial services through the GSMA Open Gateway initiative. PLDT/Smart’s SmartSafe SilentAccess, DITO’s Network Authentication, and Globe’s API-based Number Verification offer silent authentication and real-time detection of SIM-swap attempts, supporting banks and digital services in meeting stricter security rules.
At the summit, GSMA urged cross-sector collaboration, calling for standardised threat reporting, leveraging telecom insights for real-time fraud detection, expanding public-awareness campaigns, and aligning data-protection frameworks to secure cross-border digital services under the upcoming ASEAN Connectivity Strategic Plan 2026–2035.
The message is clear: protecting Filipino consumers from online scams requires coordinated, data-driven action across industries to rebuild trust and safeguard the country’s digital future.
