15% of Filipinos lose money to scams: poll

Of those scammed, 38% were scammed more than ones, and only 4% reported to authorities.

Over 2 in 5 (44%) of Filipinos have interacted with a scammer, although just 15% have lost money to scams, according to a survey by Mastercard, Gogolook, and the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA).

Of 1,160 participants, 84% said that they have encountered a scam, based on a poll between March to April 2026.

Of these, 165 respondents of about 15% lost money to scams. On average, Filipinos who were scammed lost $165.92 (PHP10,426.90), according to the study.

Of those scammed, 38% said that it happened more than once.

Of all the respondents polled, only 4% reported the scam to authorities—or just 29% of those that lost money to scams. Only 12% of those who reported their losses and their money were reimbursed by the organisation they reported to.

For those that did not interact with scams, 53% said that the message or request did not seem legitimate, 47% found warnings online about the scam, and 43% said that the request “felt too good to be true.”

Meanwhile, for those who interacted with the scammer but did not give them money, 53% said that the request was suspicious, whilst 45% had links, attachments, or websites that looked fake or slightly incorrect.

The most common scams interacted with are shopping scams (24%), investment scams (22%), and employment scams (22%).

(US$1 = PHP62.84; as of 13 October 2026)