Filipinos remain among the most heavily targeted victims of digital fraud in Asia, with phishing attacks continuing to dominate as fraudsters exploit the country’s growing dependence on mobile and online transactions, according to a new report by TransUnion Philippines.
In its “H1 2026 Update: Top Fraud Trends” report, TransUnion said 72% of Filipino consumers surveyed claimed they were targeted by digital fraud attempts from August to December 2025, while 11% said they fell victim to such schemes. Both figures were above the global averages of 53% and 10%, respectively.
Phishing emerged as the most commonly reported fraud scheme in the Philippines, which the report linked to the country’s heavy use of mobile channels for commerce and social interaction.
“Phishing was the top reported scheme in the Philippines too, possibly driven by extensive use of mobile channels for commerce and social interaction, resulting in high contact volumes and sustained attack frequency,” the report stated.
Despite the high exposure, Filipino consumers reported lower financial losses compared to other Asian markets. Victims in the Philippines reported a median fraud loss of $850 or around P50,028, lower than India’s $2,265 and Hong Kong’s $6,155.
The report said fraud losses in the Philippines were mainly driven by money mule activity and scams involving third-party sellers on legitimate e-commerce platforms.
TransUnion also found that suspected digital fraud attempts in the Philippines declined to 4.1% in 2025 from 10.1% a year earlier, although the figure remained above the global average of 3.8%.
The logistics sector posted the highest suspected digital fraud rate in the Philippines at 8.5%, reflecting risks tied to delivery coordination, payment updates, and customer communications in the country’s e-commerce ecosystem.
Account login transactions were identified as the riskiest stage in the digital consumer lifecycle in the Philippines, with 6.1% of login attempts suspected to be fraudulent in 2025. Account creation fraud attempts stood at 4.5%, while financial transaction fraud was lower at 1.1%.
The report also highlighted growing consumer concern over data protection. Around 50% of Filipinos surveyed cited security of personal data as their top expectation when choosing an online company, while 85% said confidence that personal data is secure was “very important” when deciding whom to transact with online.
Globally, TransUnion said account takeover fraud rose 37% in 2025, while account creation fraud remained the highest-risk stage across the digital consumer lifecycle at 8.3%.
The report was based on a survey of 12,730 consumers across 18 countries and regions, including 821 respondents from the Philippines, as well as transaction data from TransUnion’s global intelligence network.
