Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Agatha Gregorio

ABS-CBN News

MANILA - While SMS scams have decreased, scam calls rose by 78% in the third quarter of 2025 at 62,390 compared to the previous quarter, at 34,964, according to anti-scam app Whoscall by Gogolook.Such scams, often involving offers for rewards or loans via call, are expected to surge until the year ends, Gogolook Philippines Country Head and General Manager Mel Migriño said.“‘Yung mga Pinoy, sobrang hilig nating mag-avail ng rewards at saka loans. So ‘yan ‘yung medyo mainstay doon sa data namin. So if a telemarketer would actually call you offering you, puwedeng rewards, puwedeng you can avail of the loan, tapos delayed ‘yung payment. ‘Di ba may mga ganoon? So that one constitutes part of your third-party scams. So malaki ‘yan, and that will continue to surge until we finish off this year,” Migriño said during Whoscall’s Q3 Scam Report event on Tuesday at the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/9/18/cicc-examines-case-of-content-creator-who-lost-p189-000-0755">CICC probes case of content creator&#x27;s missing money in online scam</a></div>SMS scams, meanwhile, dropped by 42% as the third quarter arrived with 37,609 incidents in comparison to 65,035 in the second quarter of the year.“The downward trend of SMS scams has continued since Q1. Filipinos are now aware that any SMS from unknown number with link is a text scam,” the Whoscall report reads.The group Scam Watch Pilipinas expects a surge of scam calls in October and November with scammers set to take advantage of the holiday season, co-founder Jocel De Guzman said.“So, usually diyan, nasa social media lahat. Particularly the promos kasi excited tayo. Excited tayo. The fake shopping websites na ‘pag may nakita kang unique, ici-click mo yung link. Phishing account na pala. So, ‘yung mga ganoon. And ‘yung mga travel scams– ang daming travel scams… In a way, we have to really be careful. But ‘yung mga scams na ito will be more on purchase, transactions, and we&#x27;re expecting October, November surge of scam calls. Medyo magiging active sila to offer ‘yung credit card limit in time for Christmas. Itatago pa ‘yan sa Christmas period,” De Guzman said.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/10/2-arestado-sa-pagbebenta-ng-pre-registered-sim-cards-na-ginagamit-umano-sa-scam-1738">2 arestado sa pagbebenta ng pre-registered SIM cards na ginagamit umano sa scam</a></div>Scam Watch Pilipinas also plans to talk to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Philippine Marketing Association, and the Philippine Association of National Advertisers about possible regulation surrounding companies’ use of third party agencies to call customers.<div>POLICY CHANGES FOR SCAM PREVENTION</div>Both Scam Watch Pilipinas and CICC Acting Executive Director Renato Paraiso are hoping for amendments to the SIM Registration Act to impose limits as to the number of SIM that may be registered under an individual.“So, nakalimutan doon na tanggalin ‘yung unlimited number of SIM cards na puwedeng i-register. So, based kasi doon sa mga apprehensions ng mga law enforcement natin, ‘yung nakita doon is 1 person, 600 SIM cards ang naka-register sa kanya. ‘Yung isa, 2,000. And right now, yung mga hinuhuli ni PNP ACG na pino-post niya lagi sa Facebook page niya, mga nagbebenta ng mga SIM card, pre-registered SIM cards. So, ito ‘yung loophole,” De Guzman said.The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 is also in need of amendments as a great deal of crimes have yet to be identified under this law, Paraiso said.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/7/30/from-fiber-to-felons-dict-targets-100-pct-school-internet-cybercrime-convictions-0943">From fiber to felons: DICT targets 100 pct school internet, cybercrime convictions</a></div>“We&#x27;re also pushing forward with amendments to 10175– ‘yung Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. Hindi lang para to identify kasi 2012 pa siya– marami pang crimes na hindi na-i-identify dun. So that&#x27;s another one… Mahirap sa digital world ngayon ‘yung mga workers in government, medyo na-poach na. So we&#x27;re also looking for magna carta for ICT workers. So DICT, CICC can be more competitive when it comes to retaining ‘yung mga professionals natin,” Paraiso told the media.Groups at the event also raised the alarm on the use of artificial intelligence for scams.But Migriño believes this accounts for less than 10% of scams.De Guzman hopes to speak with financial institutions to ensure scam victims are not shamed for what they experienced.“And it doesn&#x27;t help if, let&#x27;s say, a financial institution as part of his crisis communications plan is to shame a victim instead of fixing it discreetly. It creates this trauma sa mga victims. Ako ‘yung nasisi by mentioning na kasalanan ng customer namin. It doesn&#x27;t help. Kaya ‘yun ‘yung mga next na gagawin namin particularly to our partners kasi you can fix naman– mga settlement na ganoon. So kaya we don&#x27;t shame victims. We encourage them to come out and we encourage everyone kasi that&#x27;s the only way we can stop this,” De Guzman added.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/26/over-5-000-arrested-for-cybercrimes-since-january-police-say-0044">Over 5,000 arrested for cybercrimes since January, police say</a></div>CICC PREPARING FOR END OF SUPPORT FOR WINDOWS 10The CICC will prepare for the possibility of scammers taking advantage of the end of support for Windows 10 after October 14, according to Paraiso.“From a cybercrime perspective, we would be taking note of that and preparing if ‘yung mga scammers natin and criminal actors natin would be taking advantage of that particular fact,” Paraiso said.Microsoft announced it would stop providing free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, and security fixes for Windows 10 by October 15.

While SMS scams have decreased, scam calls rose by 78% in the third quarter of 2025 at 62,390 compared to the previous quarter, at 34,964, according to anti-scam app Whoscall by tGogolook.

While SMS scams have decreased, scam calls rose by 78% in the third quarter of 2025 at 62,390 compared to the previous quarter, at 34,964, according to anti-scam app Whoscall by tGogolook.

Scam calls up by 78% in 3rd quarter of 2025

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Scam calls up by 78% in 3rd quarter of 2025

Agatha Gregorio,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 14, 2025 06:41 PM PHT

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Updated October 14, 2025 08:07 PM PHT

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