Manila – A new TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) analysis found that fraud remains a prevalent reality in the Philippines. The country’s suspected digital fraud rate1 stood at 4.1% in 2025, exceeding the global level of 3.8% for the sixth consecutive year. Suspected digital fraud attempts refer to activities flagged by TransUnion clients as fraudulent indicators and in violation of corporate policy. It draws on insights from TransUnion’s global intelligence network, spanning billions of transactions across tens of thousands of websites and apps.
This heightened level of fraud was also mirrored in consumer sentiment. Nearly three‑quarters (72%) of surveyed Filipino consumers reported being targeted by digital fraud attempts (online, email, phone and text messages) between August and December last year, compared with 53% globally2. This places the Philippines among the markets with the most widespread digital fraud exposure across 18 countries and regions surveyed by TransUnion.
Additional insights from TransUnion’s H1 2026 Top Fraud Trends Report also highlighted the financial impact of digital fraud, with more than one-third (38%) of Filipino consumers reporting losing money from digital fraud last year. Despite widespread exposure, however, the consumer reported financial losses in the Philippines remained comparatively lower. The median reported fraud loss last year was USD850 (approximately PHP50,000 in local currency)3, below the global median of USD1,671 (approximately PHP98,000)3.
“Our data indicates that fraud in the Philippines is driven more by scale than severity,” said Yogesh Daware, chief commercial officer at TransUnion Philippines. “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. 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.”
Higher Digital Engagement Drove Greater Fraud Risk Exposure, Concentrated at the Account Login Stage
As one of the world’s most digitally engaged markets with high internet penetration and mobile‑first connectivity, a majority (91%) of Filipinos reported conducting at least part of their account management activities online – such as address changes, account name updates and other modifications. This high level of engagement and reliance on digital channels increases exposure to fraudsters and related vulnerabilities.
Reflecting this heightened risk, the most reported fraud schemes among Filipinos who said they were targeted with digital fraud were phishing (fraudulent emails, websites, social posts, QR codes designed to steal data) at 45%, followed by smishing (fraudulent text messages intended to trick consumers into revealing information) at 38% and third-party seller scams on legitimate online retail websites at 28%.
Given the prevalence of fraud schemes aimed at stealing sensitive data and personal information, suspected digital fraud risk was largely concentrated at the initial identity verification and authentication stages across the digital consumer lifecycle. In the Philippines, fraud risk was highest at the account login stage (6.1%) – which is significantly above the global rate of 4.3% – followed by account creation (4.5%) and financial transactions (1.1%).
“With fraud risk in the Philippines highest at the account login stage, and phishing and other scams primarily focused on stealing credentials, fraud in the Philippines is fundamentally an identity issue. Fraudsters rely on impersonation and synthetic identities to evade detection, while AI-powered tactics make these attacks easier to scale and harder to identify. This raises critical questions for both businesses and consumers: whether organizations can reliably verify the person on the other side of a digital interaction and whether consumers can effectively protect their personal information,” said Daware.
Logistics Was the Industry That Recorded the Highest Suspected Digital Fraud Rate From the Philippines in 2025
Based on TransUnion’s analysis, the logistics sector recorded the highest suspected digital fraud rate in 2025 for attempted transactions where the consumer was in the Philippines, at 8.5% – up from 6.0% a year earlier – highlighting logistics as a growing area of fraud risk in the country. Recent cases of fake delivery and cash-on-delivery (COD) scams, in which victims are induced to pay for items they did not order or that are misrepresented, underscore how fraudsters are increasingly exploiting delivery and last‑mile touchpoints.
After logistics, the insurance sector recorded the second‑highest suspected digital fraud rate in the Philippines last year at 7.6%. This was followed by the communities sector, which encompasses online dating platforms, social media sites and online forums, at 5.8%, reflecting continued fraud activity in digital environments driven by user interaction and identity‑based engagement.
Logistics Saw the Highest Suspected Digital Fraud Rate in 2025 From the Philippines, Followed by Insurance and Communities
| Industry | Philippines suspected digital fraud attempt rate 2025 |
| Logistics | 8.5% |
| Insurance | 7.6% |
| Communities | 5.8% |
| Retail | 5.2% |
| Financial services | 2.3% |
| Travel & leisure | 0.8% |
| Telecommunications | 0.6% |
Source: TransUnion global intelligence network
Recognizing the need for a collective defense against fraud across different industries and all segments of the society, TransUnion Philippines pioneered an anti-fraud task force in the country through the Fraud Industry Council (FIC), launched in November 2024. The FIC brings together leading financial institutions and key industry players to strengthen businesses and consumer protection through coordinated fraud intelligence sharing – a collective approach to an industry-wide challenge.
“The latest data from TransUnion shows that fraud risks are present across sectors, affecting consumers at multiple points in their digital journeys. In addition to strengthening digital onboarding, device validation and network intelligence within individual organization, this underscores the need for collaborations beyond single entities. Through the Fraud Industry Council, we are bringing industry leaders together to share intelligence, enhance safeguards and better protect Filipino consumers through a coordinated, collective approach. Ultimately, this effort is about enabling people to transact with confidence, supporting businesses growth and strengthening trust across the country’s digital economy,” said Daware.
TransUnion came to its conclusions about digital fraud based on intelligence from its array of fraud prevention solutions. To learn more about how TransUnion fraud prevention solutions can help businesses avoid fraud and prevent fraud losses, click here.
Specific country and regional data in the report includes Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zambia. Download the TransUnion H1 2026 Top Fraud Trends Report for more information and insights about the global fraud trends.
