Filipinos remained more exposed to digital fraud than the global average in 2025, with nearly three in four consumers saying they were targeted by online scams, even as the typical amount lost was lower than in other markets, according to TransUnion.
In a report, TransUnion said the Philippines’ suspected digital fraud rate stood at 4.1 percent last year, above the global rate of 3.8 percent. This marked the sixth straight year that the country’s rate exceeded the worldwide level.
The report also showed that 72 percent of surveyed Filipino consumers said they were targeted by digital fraud attempts through online platforms, email, phone calls or text messages between August and December 2025, significantly higher than the global average of 53 percent.
More than a third, or 38 percent, said they lost money to digital fraud. However, the median reported loss in the Philippines was $850, or around P50,000, below the global median of $1,671, or about P98,000.
TransUnion Philippines chief commercial officer Yogesh Daware said the data suggest that fraud in the country is more widespread than severe, with scams occurring more frequently but typically involving lower financial losses.
‘While a significant proportion of Filipino consumers report being targeted through online, email, phone call or text messaging fraud attempts, the typical financial loss per incident is relatively lower compared to other markets,’ he said.
‘These insights point to a landscape characterized by more frequent, lower-value scams across digital channels and industries, rather than isolated big-ticket cases,’ he added.
TransUnion said the country’s high level of digital engagement might be contributing to greater fraud exposure.
About 91 percent of Filipinos reported conducting at least part of their account management activities online, such as updating addresses, changing account names or making other account modifications.
Among consumers who said they had been targeted, phishing was the most commonly reported scheme at 45 percent. This was followed by smishing, or fraudulent text messages, at 38 percent and third-party seller scams on legitimate online retail websites at 28 percent.
By industry, logistics posted the highest suspected digital fraud rate for transactions involving consumers in the Philippines at 8.5 percent in 2025, up from six percent a year earlier.
TransUnion said the increase reflected growing risks tied to fake delivery and cash-on-delivery scams, where victims are made to pay for items they did not order or for goods that are misrepresented.
Insurance recorded the second-highest suspected fraud rate at 7.6 percent, followed by communities, a category covering online dating platforms, social media sites and forums, at 5.8 percent. Retail registered a rate of 5.2 percent, while financial services stood at 2.3 percent.
TransUnion surveyed 821 consumers in the Philippines from Nov. 20 to Dec. 8, 2025 as part of a broader global poll of 12,730 consumers across 18 countries and regions. Its fraud rate analysis was based on transactions flagged by clients as fraudulent or in violation of corporate policy.