Scammers are increasingly using e-wallets in the Philippines, with their reported use increasing from 34% in 2025 to 73% in 2026, according to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA)’s Annual State of Scams Report, produced in collaboration with Mastercard and Gogolook.
The damage goes beyond lost savings. Among scam victims surveyed, 22% said they could no longer pay for basic essentials, while 82% said the experience hurt their mental well-being.
“And the human cost goes far beyond the money lost,” said Rajesh Singh Sandhu, director of the Digital Trust Centre of Excellence in APAC at Mastercard. “Scams weaken trust in institutions, and across Southeast Asia, people increasingly are starting to ignore calls or messages from government agencies, from banks, from telcos, because they fear that it might be a scam. So victims also carry emotional trauma and shame, often affecting their own families as well. So ultimately, scams undermine our shared ambition to grow inclusive digital economies.”
The State of Scams Philippines 2026 Report surveyed 1,160 Filipino adults. It found that 84% encountered a scam attempt in the past year, up from 77% in 2025.
Scammers’ use of bank account transfers to move illicit funds fell from 36% to 12%, showing a shift toward other payment channels.
Scam attempts often reach people through familiar apps. Among those who encountered scams, 39% were approached through messaging apps and 36% through social media posts. Overall, 88% of scam attempts happened on platforms where users can send private messages.
While 58% of Filipino adults felt confident they could recognize a scam, 60% of those who encountered one interacted with it.
Fifteen percent (15%) of respondents reported losing money or personal data that led to financial loss. Victims reported an average loss of ₱10,427. Estimated annual losses nationwide reached ₱121.8 billion.
“This is a consumer and a human story,” said Brian Hanley, APAC director, Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA). “In terms of how we understand this report, we look at four things: encounters, interactions, cost of scams, and prevention. Think of these stages in a journey, not separate problems. At every stage, there’s an opportunity to intervene.”
The GASA report recommends a national body to coordinate responses and a shared system for handling scam cases. This would help banks, e-wallet providers, online platforms, and authorities exchange information and respond faster as scams move between services, from the initial message to the payment that leaves a victim out of pocket.