Scam exposure surges in Philippines, GSMA urges joint action

MANILA — More than half of Filipinos have fallen victim to scams, with social media emerging as the country’s top fraud channel, according to a new GSMA report released Wednesday at the Digital Nation Summit Manila.

The mobile industry body warned that the rising prevalence of scams in the Philippines is undermining public trust in the digital economy. According to the ASEAN Consumer Scam study, 52% of Filipino respondents reported having been scammed at least once — seven percentage points above the ASEAN average.

The report, conducted by Armidale for GSMA, found that 8% of respondents were scammed in the past 12 months. The exposure rate rose by 6% year-on-year, a spike matched only by Thailand.

Two-thirds (68%) of scam victims reported financial loss, with 11% describing the loss as large. The psychological toll was also significant: 45% said the experience caused emotional stress, while 28% said they had to spend substantial time resolving the issue.

Public concern over scams has intensified, with 96% of respondents expressing worry. The share of Filipinos who said they are “very concerned” rose to 58% — up seven percentage points from the previous year.

Social media now ranks as the leading medium for fraud, outpacing text messages, voice calls and over-the-top (OTT) messaging apps.

“The Philippine’s digital economy depends on trust,” said Julian Gorman, head of Asia-Pacific for GSMA. “Our latest evidence shows that trust is being eroded faster than it is being rebuilt. Industry and government must move from isolated initiatives to fully coordinated, data-driven defence if we are to protect consumers and sustain the country’s digital-growth story.”

Threat intelligence

In response, GSMA unveiled a pilot program under its APAC Cross-Sector Anti-Scam Taskforce (ACAST), aimed at strengthening collaboration between telecom, tech, and finance sectors.

Dubbed the Combating Scams Foundry Project, the initiative will enable Philippine mobile operators to share anonymised, regulator-approved data — including user-reported scam numbers and abnormal traffic patterns — to test telecom-driven risk scoring models for digital platforms.

A proof-of-concept rollout is scheduled for early 2026.