The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) handled 10,004 cybercrime complaints in 2024, more than three times the 3,317 cases reported in 2023, highlighting a sharp rise in online scams and fraud.
In a statement on Friday, Jan. 31, the agency said the total financial losses suffered by victims amounted to nearly P198 million, marking the first time the agency has released statistics on actual monetary damages caused by cybercrime.
CICC Executive Director Alexander K. Ramos attributed the significant increase in complaints to growing public awareness and improved reporting mechanisms.
“In previous years, people were not aware that they were being scammed, and many were also unaware of where to file their complaints,” he said.
He also credited the agency’s partners for encouraging victims to report incidents. “We also owe this to our partners who have been encouraging the public to report to our hotline or through other channels and platforms,” he added.
Consumer and online fraud cases dominate
The CICC said that consumer fraud topped the list of reported cases, accounting for 3,534 complaints or 35 percent of the total.
Of these, 86 percent involved non-delivery of goods or services, while 8 percent were related to fake advertisements.
Online fraud followed closely with 3,242 complaints or 32 percent. Among these, financial fraud had the highest number of cases at 957, followed by impersonation (920), job scams (396), investment scams (396), and love scams (72).
Other cybercrime complaints included unsolicited communication, illegal access, identity theft, sexual cybercrimes, phishing, and cyber libel.
Platforms used in scams
Per CICC’s data, GCash was the most frequently used financial platform in reported scams, accounting for P76.49 million in losses.
Other financial platforms used by scammers included BPI (P28.47 million), GoTyme (P15.38 million), and PayMaya (P13.99 million).
Victims of cyber scams are encouraged to report incidents through the Inter-Agency Response Center (IARC) hotline 1326, which operates toll-free 24/7, including weekends and holidays.