FRAUD is taking a growing toll on Philippine businesses, with local companies losing an estimated P4 trillion in the past year — equivalent to about six percent of annual revenues — according to TransUnion’s Second Half 2025 Fraud Trends Report released on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.
Although below the global average of 7.7 percent, the figure underscores how deeply fraud continues to affect operations and confidence. About 70 percent of Filipino business leaders said they were “very or extremely concerned” about the impact of fraud, placing the Philippines third globally after the U.S. and India.
First-party fraud — where individuals falsify information for financial gain — and scam and authorized fraud tied as the leading causes of losses at 25 percent each, both above global averages.
“Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated, exploiting every digital interaction to bypass traditional defenses,” said Yogesh Daware, TransUnion Philippines’ chief commercial officer.
Filipino consumers remain heavily exposed: 65 percent reported being targeted by online, phone, or text scams between February and May, compared with a 48 percent global average. Phishing was the most common scheme, followed by money or gift card scams and smishing.
The suspected digital fraud rate for transactions in the Philippines stood at 4.4 percent in the first half of 2025, higher than the 3.8 percent global average. The highest risk was seen in online communities and social platforms, where fraud attempts reached 6.5 percent.
Daware said businesses are stepping up, with over two-thirds now optimizing their fraud detection systems quarterly.
“Protecting both consumers and businesses is non-negotiable,” he said. “A smarter, data-driven approach is key to building a safer, more inclusive digital economy.” / KOC