Visa strengthens anti-scam push

Visa is stepping up scam disruption efforts in the Philippines as fraudsters increasingly abandon SMS-based schemes in favor of phishing, online card fraud and account takeovers that target the country’s rapidly expanding digital payments space.

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Visa said emerging fraud patterns show scams are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect, prompting a shift toward earlier intervention aimed at stopping illicit transactions before funds are moved.

The pivot follows Visa's recent Risk Forum, where it engaged Philippine banks and fintechs on evolving threats and the need for stronger ecosystem-wide defenses.

Visa’s latest Biannual Threats Report showed ransomware incidents affecting the payments ecosystem surged by 41 percent in the first half of 2025, underscoring what the company described as a more volatile and unpredictable risk environment.