A new report released says 84 percent of Filipino adults ran into a scam attempt in the past year. That is higher than the 77 percent recorded in 2025.
The State of Scams Philippines 2026 Report came from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), Mastercard, and Gogolook. It surveyed 1,160 Filipino adults.
Yearly scam losses were estimated at Php121.8 billion, based on survey replies, not confirmed cases. Each victim lost about Php10,427 on average. The typical adult met 151 scams in a year.
Scammers leaned more on digital wallets, which rose from 34 percent in 2025 to 73 percent in 2026. Bank transfers dropped from 36 percent to 12 percent. The Philippines was the only Southeast Asian nation to see that decline.
Instant messaging brought 39 percent of scams, while social media brought 36 percent. Platforms with direct messaging accounted for 88 percent of all attempts.
About 58 percent of adults felt sure they could catch a scam, yet 60 percent of those who met one still engaged with it.
Mental health suffered for 82 percent of victims. About 22 percent could not cover basic needs. One in five parents said their child was scammed.
Only 4 percent told authorities. Among those who lost money, 29 percent reported it.
GASA Asia Pacific director Brian Hanley said each statistic represents a real person who trusted the wrong message or link.
The report pushed for a national coordinating body to share intelligence and speed up responses, pointing to the National Anti-Scam Hub.
Mastercard Philippines country manager Jason Crasto said no single group can fix this alone and stressed public and private cooperation.
Gogolook Philippines head Mel Migriño said its Whoscall platform helps users spot unfamiliar callers and suspicious messages.