{"id":24912,"date":"2025-11-13T10:59:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T10:59:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/?p=24912"},"modified":"2026-01-06T15:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T15:14:14","slug":"rising-scam-exposure-in-the-philippines-underscores-need-for-cross-sector-action-warns-new-gsma-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/rising-scam-exposure-in-the-philippines-underscores-need-for-cross-sector-action-warns-new-gsma-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising Scam Exposure in the Philippines Underscores Need for Cross-Sector Action,\u00a0Warns New\u00a0GSMA\u00a0Report\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over half of Filipinos have been scammed, as new GSMA pilot boosts cross \u2013sector sharing of mobile-network intelligence<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

13 November 2025, Manila:<\/strong> Consumer concerns around online scams have reached significant levels in the Philippines and threaten digital trust, according to a new GSMA report published today at the Digital Nation Summit Manila<\/a>. To combat this the mobile industry has outlined a number of new anti-scam initiatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than\u00a0half (52%)\u00a0of Filipinos have been\u00a0scammed\u00a0at least once in their lifetime, seven points\u00a0higher than\u00a0the\u00a0ASEAN\u00a0average, according to new\u00a0findings\u00a0which\u00a0are\u00a0part of the\u00a0mobile industry\u00a0association\u2019s\u00a0ongoing\u00a0ASEAN Consumer Scam study.\u00a0Eight per cent\u00a0in Filipinos respondents have been\u00a0victimised in the past twelve months, with\u00a0reported\u00a0scam\u00a0exposure rising\u00a0by six\u00a0percent\u00a0in the past year, an increase matched only by Thailand.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new GSMA report, conducted by Armidale, also shows that two-thirds (68%) of victims have lost money to scammers, with 11% describing the loss as large. The psychological impact has also been severe with almost half (45%) reporting emotional stress and 28% spending significant time resolving incidents. More than 96% of respondents said they are worried about scams and hacking, with 58% say they are \u201cvery concerned\u201d, up seven points year-on-year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social media is now the leading channel for fraudsters looking to scam victims in the Philippines, putting it ahead of text messages, OTT messaging apps and voice calls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julian Gorman, Head of Asia-Pacific, GSMA, said, \u201cThe Philippine\u2019s digital economy depends on trust. 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\u2019s digital-growth story.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foundry Project Pilot to Enhance Cross-Sector Threat Intelligence Sharing<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, the GSMA announced a new pilot at the Digital Nation Summit Manila to help Philippine mobile operators collaborate and share threat intelligence more effectively with leading technology and financial sector partners. By working together through the GSMA APAC Cross-Sector Anti-Scam Taskforce (ACAST) Combating Scams Foundry Project, the pilot will use anonymised, regulator-approved data sets ranging from customer-reported fraud numbers to abnormal traffic patterns to test how telecom intelligence can improve scam-risk scoring for digital platforms. A controlled proof-of-concept is scheduled for early 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

GSMA Open Gateway Initiative Brings Silent Authentication to Market<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobile operators in the Philippines have also launched a series of commercial services to tackle scams and fraud, as part of the GSMA Open Gateway initiative. All three national operators PLDT\/Smart, Globe and DITO, have announced Open Gateway-aligned services that silently verify subscriber identity and detect SIM-swap attempts in real time: <\/p>\n\n\n\n