Consumer concerns around online scams have reached significant levels in the Philippines and now threaten digital trust, according to a new GSMA report published at the Digital Nation Summit Manila. To combat this, the mobile industry has outlined a number of new anti-scam initiatives.
More than half (52%) of Filipinos have been scammed at least once in their lifetime—seven points higher than the ASEAN average—based on findings from the mobile industry association’s ongoing ASEAN Consumer Scam study. Eight percent of Filipino respondents were victimized in the past 12 months, with reported scam exposure rising by six percent year-on-year, an increase matched only by Thailand.
The new GSMA report, conducted by Armidale, also shows that two-thirds (68%) of victims have lost money, with 11% describing the loss as large. The psychological impact is also significant: almost half (45%) reported emotional stress, while 28% spent considerable time resolving incidents. More than 96% of respondents said they are worried about scams and hacking, with 58% saying they are “very concerned,” up seven points from the previous year.
Social media has become the leading channel for fraudsters targeting victims in the Philippines, overtaking text messages, OTT messaging apps, and voice calls.
Julian Gorman, Head of Asia-Pacific at GSMA, said: “The Philippines’ 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 defense if we are to protect consumers and sustain the country’s digital-growth story.”
Foundry Project pilot to enhance cross-sector threat intelligence sharing
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. Through the GSMA APAC Cross-Sector Anti-Scam Taskforce (ACAST) Combating Scams Foundry Project, the pilot will use anonymized, regulator-approved data sets—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.
GSMA Open Gateway initiative brings silent authentication to market
Mobile operators in the Philippines have also launched new commercial services to combat scams and fraud under 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:
SmartSafe SilentAccess (PLDT Enterprise) replaces SMS one-time passwords, supporting Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Circular 1213.
DITO Network Authentication, powered by Shush Inc.’s Sherlock platform, uses eight CAMARA APIs and EAP-AKA cryptography to reduce fraud risk by up to 90%.
Globe, now GSMA-certified for Number Verification, is rolling out API-based authentication to help local banks meet the BSP’s strengthened security rules.
Call for cross-sector action against scams
At the Digital Nation Summit Manila, the GSMA urged stakeholders across banking, telecoms, e-commerce and government to:
1. Standardize threat-reporting and cyber-hygiene practices to ensure rapid, multi-channel takedown of scam vectors.
2. Leverage telecom data insights and Open Gateway APIs for real-time fraud detection.
3. Expand public-awareness and digital-literacy campaigns targeting high-risk and vulnerable groups.
4. Align data-protection and consumer-rights frameworks to enable secure cross-border services envisaged in the forthcoming ASEAN Connectivity Strategic Plan 2026–2035.
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