Caller identification service provider Whoscall reports that 6,157,517 text short messaging service (SMS) frauds were reported in the Philippines in 2024.
With 2,079,968, the majority of text scams were tracked during the fourth quarter of last year.
“The data shows that the fourth quarter accounted for the largest share, comprising 33.8 percent of the total SMS scams recorded in 2024,” Mel Migriño, the country head for Whoscall’s developer Gogolook, said.
Scam data from 2024
According to data, the number of scam calls rose over time. In 2024, Whoscall recorded 108,157 calls in the first quarter, which rose to 135,535 in the second, 165,236 in the third, and 201,760 in the fourth.
Additionally, the number of SMS scams rose, reaching 1,143,268 in the first quarter, 1,288,811 in the second, and 1,645,470 in the third, prior to the spike in the fourth quarter.
The majority of the 16,553 dangerous web links that Whoscall extracted from these fake texts were invitations to sign up for online services, promotions, insurance, game subscriptions, financial services, loans, and prizes.
Suspicious financial requests, employment-related scams, and online shopping scams were the other most harmful links.
Scams in this day and age
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) had already issued a warning to the public in June of last year about the rise in text frauds.
The CICC cautioned the public against sharing images of their identification documents, bank accounts, credit cards, and bill statements online or on social media.
Social media sites are another significant source of these scams, according to CICC.
