Online scams cost Filipinos P121.8 billion in one year
A report by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance reveals that Filipinos lost P121.8 billion to scams in the past year, with digital wallets serving as the primary payment method for fraudsters. Shopping, investment, and employment scams were identified as the most frequent threats.
Why it matters
The high prevalence of digital wallet fraud highlights a critical security gap in the rapidly digitizing Philippine financial sector.
MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos lost an estimated P121.8 billion to scams over the past year, with digital wallets emerging as the primary channel used to transfer money to fraudsters, according to a new report.
The State of Scams Philippines 2026 report, conducted by Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), in collaboration with Mastercard and Gogolook, estimated that about 11.7 million Filipino adults suffered financial losses from scams, averaging P10,427 per victim.
The P121.8-billion figure was based on a survey of 1,160 Filipino adults conducted from March 16 to April 13, 2026, with the findings extrapolated to the country's adult population.
It is a survey-based estimate rather than an official tally of money reported stolen to authorities.
The report found that 84 percent of Filipino adults encountered at least one scam attempt in the past 12 months, up from 77 percent in 2025.
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