Fraud is digital

You know that gut feeling you get when someone you just met tells a story that's too good to be true?

- LITO VILLANUEVA

When a "friend of a friend" suddenly messages you about a sure-win investment; limited offer only, and you will supposedly earn big in just a few weeks? Or when a long-lost "uncle from abroad" suddenly reaches out right when he needs your bank details?Digital fraud feels exactly like that: familiar, friendly and somehow very fishy.

Except online, there's no handshake. No real face. And by the time you realize it was a scam, your money, your data and your identity are gone.

The Philippines has been under cyberattack these past years as technology advances. Digital threats continue to loom, and sophisticated scams remain unstoppable and relentless.

By 2025, the Philippines was already deep into a cybersecurity collision with reality.

Filipino businesses were among the most targeted for cyberattacks in ASEAN, landing third regionally with 1.8 million on-device attacks, including malware delivered through everyday tools like USB drives.

Data breaches are nothing new here. A recent overview shows hundreds of millions of Philippine accounts have been exposed over years of breaches, leaving identities and financial information vulnerable.

AI and deepfake-powered scams are no longer futuristic anecdotes; they have real victims. Reports noted a massive increase in AI-enabled deepfake fraud, where manipulated video and voice clones trick people into sending money or sharing credentials.

And beyond technical hacks, people are being scammed in very human ways: phishing, social engineering and deceptive communications that look exactly like they came from someone you trust.

This isn't paranoia. It's the baseline for how digital fraud thrives.

But thankfully, the government and regulators have been responding.