Global TrustTech company Gogolook has recorded a surge in scam calls, while scam text messages saw a sharp decline in the first quarter of 2025 in the Philippines.
In a press briefing, anti-scam application Whoscall reported that scam calls surged by 74.3%, rising to 351,000 in the first three months of 2025 from 201,000 in the same period of 2024.
“The year-on-year growth is even more striking, with a staggering 225.17% rise compared to the 108,157 scam calls reported in Q1 2024," the application reported.
Meanwhile, scam text messages dropped significantly to 648,238, marking a 68.3% decrease from 2,079,968 at the end of 2024.
The data was presented on Wednesday at the National Cybercrime Hub in Bonifacio Global City.
"If actually we compare year-on-year from the 648,238, up to the quarter 1 of last year so that is 1.1 million so that is roughly a 43% decrease," Gogolook Philippines Country Head Mel Migriño compared.
Loan availment schemes remain the most prevalent scams, accounting for 55% of cases, followed by VIP rewards scams at 24%, collection-related scams at 10%, and other schemes involving transaction verification, delivery, and job applications.
Migriño attributed the rise in scam calls to fraudsters adapting their tactics, while the decline in scam text messages was credited to effective reporting mechanisms, increased public awareness, and proactive collaboration between government agencies, civic advocacy groups, and the private sector.
At the same time, the leading global TrustTech company announced the launch of new "content checker" features in its anti-scam app, designed to detect AI-driven scams, suspicious content, deep fakes, and impersonations.
Gogolook serves as the Technology Convenor of Scam Watch Pilipinas and is a private sector partner of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center.
