Quick answer

If you were scammed while shopping online or through social media in the Philippines, act immediately:

Contact your bank, card issuer, or e-wallet through its official fraud channel. Ask it to secure your account, investigate the transaction, and determine whether funds can still be held, recalled, or traced. Do not wait for a police report before notifying the provider.
Report the seller and transaction inside the shopping or social-media platform. Request that the account, listing, messages, and transaction records be preserved.
Report the incident to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) by calling 1326 or emailing report@cicc.gov.ph.
File a criminal complaint with the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, the nearest police station or cybercrime unit, or the NBI Cybercrime Division. The PNP and NBI are the law-enforcement authorities designated under the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
If the transaction involved an online merchant or business, file a consumer complaint with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through its Consumer Complaints Assistance and Resolution System.
Preserve all evidence before accounts, posts, or messages disappear.

Reporting does not guarantee that the money will be recovered. Speed nevertheless matters: transferred funds may be moved quickly, while platforms and service providers may retain relevant records only for limited periods.

First, secure your money and accounts

Contact the bank or e-wallet used to send or receive the payment. Use only the telephone number, website, app, or email address published by the provider—not contact details supplied by the seller.

Tell the provider:

that the transaction is connected to a suspected scam;
whether you authorized the payment or the transaction was made without your permission;
the exact amount, date, time, recipient account, and reference number;
whether you disclosed an OTP, PIN, password, card details, identification document, or device access;
whether more transactions may follow; and
that you want the account secured and the transaction investigated.

Ask for a case or ticket number and written confirmation of your report. If appropriate, request:

suspension of affected cards, online-banking access, or e-wallet access;
a password and PIN reset;
blocking or investigation of the recipient account;
recall, reversal, chargeback, or dispute procedures that may apply; and
preservation of transaction and account records for law enforcement.

A payment you deliberately sent after being deceived is different from an unauthorized transaction made without your consent. Tell the provider exactly what happened. Do not describe an authorized transfer as unauthorized; that can undermine your complaint.

If the provider is supervised by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), complain to the provider first. If the concern remains unresolved, escalate it through the BSP Consumer Assistance Mechanism. The BSP accepts escalation through its Online Buddy or a completed complaint form sent to consumeraffairs@bsp.gov.ph. Include your complaint to the provider, its response if any, and supporting records.

Also change passwords for affected email, shopping, social-media, and financial accounts. Turn on multifactor authentication, log out unfamiliar devices, and contact your mobile network immediately if your SIM has stopped working or may have been taken over.

Preserve evidence before reporting the account

Save complete, readable copies rather than isolated screenshots with no context. Keep the original files and make a backup.

Preserve:

the advertisement, product listing, livestream, or social-media post;
the seller’s profile name, username, profile URL, page URL, user ID if visible, and account creation details;
the full conversation, including dates and timestamps;
order confirmations, invoices, electronic receipts, delivery records, and tracking details;
the seller’s stated name, business name, address, telephone number, and email address;
bank, card, e-wallet, cryptocurrency-wallet, or remittance details;
payment reference numbers and transaction histories;
photographs or an unedited unboxing video if the item was fake, empty, damaged, or materially different;
voice messages, call logs, emails, and text messages;
promises of delivery, refund, replacement, or guaranteed returns;
the platform’s report acknowledgement and case number;
your reports to the bank, CICC, DTI, PNP, or NBI; and
any identification document, selfie, or personal information you sent.

Where possible, export the conversation or save it as a PDF in addition to taking screenshots. Record the exact URL, not merely the displayed account name. Do not edit, crop, annotate, or delete the only copy of a file.

Keep a short chronology listing what happened, when it happened, how much was paid, and what response you received. Investigators and complaint officers can understand a well-organized timeline more quickly.

Do not access the suspect’s account, impersonate another buyer, publish private information, or attempt to “hack back.” Preserve evidence and let the platform and authorities obtain protected account information through lawful processes.

Report the seller to the platform

Use the marketplace or social-media platform’s reporting and dispute tools promptly. Choose the most accurate category, such as fraud, non-delivery, counterfeit goods, impersonation, or compromised account.

Include the order number, payment details, seller URL, a concise chronology, and the remedy requested. If the platform offers buyer protection, a return window, or a payment dispute procedure, follow it immediately. These contractual deadlines may be much shorter than legal filing periods.

Ask the platform in writing to preserve:

the seller’s registration and verification records;
login and access records;
the listing and transaction history;
messages connected with the transaction; and
payment or payout information.

The platform may remove the listing or account, but a platform report is not a substitute for reporting the financial transaction or filing a complaint with authorities.

Report the incident to CICC and law enforcement

The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 designates the PNP and NBI as the principal law-enforcement authorities for cybercrime. It also created the CICC to coordinate responses and provide immediate assistance concerning cybercrime.

You may report the incident through:

CICC: call 1326 or email report@cicc.gov.ph;
PNP: approach the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, a regional cybercrime unit, or the nearest police station; or
NBI: approach the NBI Cybercrime Division or the nearest NBI office.

Give the receiving officer copies of your evidence and bring valid identification. Be ready to provide a signed statement or complaint-affidavit explaining:

who you dealt with, as far as known;
what representations were made;
why you relied on them;
when and how you paid;
what the seller did after payment;
what loss you suffered; and
what accounts, telephone numbers, URLs, or devices were involved.

Ask for the official complaint, blotter, or reference number and the investigator’s contact details. Tell the investigator immediately if the platform says it will soon delete records or if the bank identifies a recipient institution.

Under Section 13 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act, service providers must preserve specified traffic data and subscriber information for at least six months from the transaction. Content data are preserved following a lawful preservation order. This does not mean that a victim should wait six months: prompt reporting gives investigators a better opportunity to request preservation and pursue the required legal process.

Ordinary online-selling deception may potentially involve estafa or another offense under the Revised Penal Code. Conduct involving unauthorized manipulation of data, identity misuse, or other computer-related acts may also implicate the Cybercrime Prevention Act. The correct charge depends on the evidence and should be determined by investigators and prosecutors—not merely by the label used in an online report.

When to complain to DTI

Use the DTI consumer-complaint process when the transaction is a genuine consumer dispute involving an online merchant, e-retailer, marketplace seller, or other business—for example:

paid goods were not delivered;
the item materially differs from its description;
a counterfeit or unsafe product was supplied;
the merchant refuses to honor a lawful warranty or agreed refund;
required seller information was concealed; or
the marketplace or merchant failed to address a documented transaction problem.

File through the DTI Consumer Complaints Assistance and Resolution System. State the remedy you want, such as delivery, replacement, repair, or refund, and attach proof of purchase, communications, photographs, and your prior demand to the seller.

The Internet Transactions Act of 2023 regulates covered business-to-business and business-to-consumer internet transactions and imposes obligations on online merchants, e-retailers, e-marketplaces, and certain digital platforms. The online merchant is generally the primary party responsible to the consumer. Platform liability is fact-dependent and may arise only under the conditions stated in the law.

The Act generally does not cover a purely consumer-to-consumer transaction. A one-time sale by a private individual may therefore fall outside its coverage, although fraud and other laws may still apply. DTI mediation or adjudication also does not replace a criminal investigation where the seller used a false identity, disappeared after payment, or appears to be operating a deliberate scam.

Make a clear written demand

If the seller’s identity and contact details are known, send a concise written demand before or while pursuing formal remedies. State:

the transaction date and item;
the amount paid;
the specific problem;
the remedy requested;
a reasonable deadline for responding; and
that you will pursue available platform, consumer, civil, and criminal remedies if the matter is not resolved.

Send it through a channel that produces proof of delivery. Avoid threats, insults, or public accusations. A demand may help establish the dispute and the seller’s response, but it is not a reason to delay an urgent bank or cybercrime report.

Can you recover the money through a civil case?

Possibly. A buyer may have a civil claim for the return of money or damages, depending on the contract and proof. If the claim qualifies, the judiciary’s small-claims procedure may provide a simplified route for a money claim within the applicable jurisdictional limit.

A civil case is more practical when the seller’s true name and address are known and there is reliable evidence of the transaction. It may be difficult to serve a claim against an anonymous account. A police report alone does not automatically produce a refund, while a civil judgment does not guarantee collection if the defendant has no reachable assets.

Before filing, check the current forms and requirements through the Supreme Court’s Small Claims information page or ask the proper first-level court. For a substantial loss, multiple victims, an overseas suspect, or uncertainty about the proper defendant, obtain individual legal advice.

Important distinctions and exceptions

A failed transaction is not automatically a crime

Late delivery, poor quality, or a refund disagreement may be a consumer or contractual dispute. Criminal fraud ordinarily requires proof of deceptive conduct and the other elements of the applicable offense. Non-performance alone does not conclusively establish criminal intent.

Cash-on-delivery scams should still be documented

Photograph the package, waybill, contents, and condition of the seals. Keep the packaging. Report the order to the platform and courier promptly. Do not assume that the courier is the seller; determine which entity accepted payment and what its written dispute rules require.

Overseas sellers can be harder to pursue

The Internet Transactions Act may apply to covered actors that target the Philippine market and have the required connection with the country. Actual enforcement and recovery may nevertheless require cross-border cooperation. Report promptly and provide every available account, payment, and shipping detail.

Identity theft requires additional action

If the scammer obtained or used your identification, selfie, signature, account credentials, or personal data, tell the police and the affected institutions. Notify organizations that may rely on the compromised information. If a personal-information controller mishandled your data or failed to respond appropriately, consult the National Privacy Commission about its complaint process.

Cryptocurrency transfers present special difficulties

Contact the exchange or wallet service immediately and provide the transaction hash and destination address. Blockchain transfers are generally not reversible by the network, but a regulated exchange may be able to flag an account or preserve identification records. Avoid “recovery agents” who demand another advance payment; recovery scams commonly target people who have already lost money.

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting for the seller’s repeated promises before contacting the bank.
Sending an additional “release,” “verification,” “tax,” or “refund-processing” fee.
Deleting the conversation after becoming angry or embarrassed.
Reporting only the account’s display name and not its URL or payment details.
Posting all evidence publicly before investigators can preserve it.
Sharing an OTP, PIN, password, recovery code, or screen-control access with someone claiming to process a refund.
Paying a person who claims to be a police officer, bank employee, platform agent, or hacker who can recover the money for a fee.
Assuming that reporting to DTI, the platform, or the bank automatically creates a criminal case.
Making knowingly false statements about whether a transaction was authorized.
Missing the platform’s buyer-protection or chargeback deadline while waiting for another agency.

When help is urgent

Act at once if:

money has just been transferred;
your bank, e-wallet, email, or social-media account has been taken over;
your SIM unexpectedly lost service;
the scammer has your OTP, PIN, password, card details, identification, or selfie;
unauthorized transactions are continuing;
the scammer is threatening you or demanding more money;
intimate images, a child, physical safety, or extortion is involved;
multiple victims or a large coordinated scheme are apparent; or
the platform warns that records will soon be deleted.

For immediate danger or an ongoing physical threat, contact the police or emergency services. Do not meet the suspect, send a “test payment,” or attempt to recover goods personally.

Practical reporting checklist

Before submitting a complaint, prepare:

your full name and contact details;
a one-page chronology;
the total amount lost;
transaction dates, times, reference numbers, and recipient accounts;
the seller’s names, usernames, URLs, numbers, and addresses;
the advertisement or listing;
the complete conversation;
receipts, order records, and delivery documents;
photographs or video of the package and item;
your bank or e-wallet case number;
the platform’s case number;
the exact remedy or action requested; and
a list of other agencies where you have already reported the incident.

Submit copies unless an investigator formally takes custody of an original. If you surrender a device or original document, ask for an inventory or acknowledgement.

Frequently asked questions

Should I report even if the amount is small?

Yes. The amount may affect the practical handling or possible charge, but the same account may be victimizing many people. Your report can help connect related incidents.

Can the bank immediately reverse my transfer?

Not necessarily. A completed transfer may already have been withdrawn or moved. Reversal also depends on the payment method, authorization, provider rules, available funds, and investigation. Report immediately and ask what recall or dispute process applies.

Can I file against an unknown person?

You can report an unidentified suspect using every available username, URL, telephone number, account number, wallet address, and transaction reference. Law-enforcement authorities must use lawful procedures to obtain protected subscriber or account information.

Should I file with both DTI and the police?

You may do so when both consumer and possible criminal issues exist. DTI addresses covered consumer disputes and regulatory obligations; police and the NBI investigate possible crimes. One process does not automatically replace the other.

Do I need a lawyer to report a scam?

Not usually for the initial reports to the bank, platform, CICC, DTI, PNP, or NBI. Legal help becomes more important when the loss is substantial, the facts are complicated, several victims are involved, a complaint-affidavit must be prepared, or civil litigation is being considered.

What if I voluntarily sent the payment?

You should still report it if the payment was induced by deception. Be accurate that you authorized the transfer but were allegedly misled. Whether the facts amount to a crime or create a right to reimbursement requires investigation.

Can I publicly name the suspected scammer?

Public accusations can create privacy, defamation, safety, and evidentiary problems, especially if identity is uncertain. Report through official channels and share evidence with investigators. If warning others, stick to verifiable facts and avoid publishing identification documents, account details, addresses, or other sensitive personal data.

Is a screenshot enough?

It can help, but stronger evidence includes the full conversation, original electronic files, transaction records, URLs, timestamps, receipts, and platform acknowledgements. Preserve context and originals whenever possible.

Official sources and reporting links

This article provides general legal information, not advice for a particular case. Applicable remedies, offenses, jurisdiction, deadlines, and outcomes depend on the evidence and circumstances. Official sources and reporting information were checked on September 18, 2026.