Digital fraud remained prevalent in the Philippines in 2025, according to a new report from global credit bureau TransUnion, with the country’s fraud rate exceeding the global average for the sixth consecutive year as the domestic digital economy continues to expand.

In a Wednesday, 20 May report, TransUnion said the country’s suspected digital fraud rate stood at 4.1 percent in 2025, above the global average of 3.8 percent.

The firm also said 38 percent of Filipino consumers reported losing money to digital fraud last year.

Comparatively lower financial losses

Despite widespread exposure, however, reported financial losses in the Philippines remained comparatively lower. The median fraud loss among Filipinos was around P50,000, below the global median of $1,671, or roughly P98,000 based on end-December exchange rates.

“Our data indicates that fraud in the Philippines is driven more by scale than severity,” said Yogesh Daware, chief commercial officer at TransUnion Philippines.

Landscape characterized by frequent, lower-value scams

“These insights point to a landscape characterized by more frequent, lower-value scams across digital channels and industries, rather than isolated big-ticket cases. The breadth and frequency of these incidents make digital fraud a persistent concern,” he added.

The elevated fraud rate was likewise reflected in consumer sentiment.

Nearly three-fourths, or 72 percent, of surveyed Filipino consumers said they were targeted by digital fraud attempts through online platforms, email, phone calls, and text messages between August and December last year, compared with the global average of 53 percent.

This placed the Philippines among the markets with the highest levels of digital fraud exposure across the 18 countries and regions surveyed by TransUnion.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the country’s digital economy accounted for 9.8 percent of gross domestic product after growing 5.4 percent to P2.74 trillion in 2025 from P2.59 trillion the previous year.

TransUnion earlier estimated that Filipino businesses lost around P4 trillion to various forms of digital fraud in 2024, underscoring the heightened financial risks faced by both consumers and firms as digital transactions continue to expand.

Phishing most commonly reported fraud scheme

The report identified phishing as the most commonly reported fraud scheme among Filipinos who experienced digital fraud attempts, accounting for 45 percent of incidents.

This was followed by smishing, or fraudulent text messages designed to trick consumers into revealing sensitive information, at 38 percent, and third-party seller scams on legitimate online retail websites at 28 percent.

Among industries, the logistics, insurance, and communities sectors — which include online dating platforms, social media sites, and internet forums — recorded the highest digital fraud rates across all sectors monitored by the firm.