Quick answer

If you paid an online seller or social-media account and believe you were scammed, act immediately:

Contact your bank, card issuer, or e-wallet through its official app, website, or hotline. Report the transaction as fraudulent or disputed, ask whether the transfer can be stopped or traced, and request that the recipient account be flagged. Speed matters, but recovery is not guaranteed.
Preserve the evidence before the seller deletes or changes anything. Save the listing, account profile, messages, payment records, delivery details, phone numbers, links, and screenshots showing dates and times.
Report the seller and transaction inside the shopping or social-media platform. Ask for a refund, account review, preservation of records, and removal of fraudulent listings.
For a business-to-consumer purchase, use the seller’s or platform’s internal complaint process. Under the Internet Transactions Act, that process is generally considered exhausted if the complaint remains unresolved after seven calendar days.
File a consumer complaint with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) if the dispute involves an online business or merchant.
Report suspected fraud to law enforcement, particularly the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) or the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), if there was deliberate deception, a fake identity or shop, account takeover, phishing, repeated victims, threats, or significant loss.

These routes serve different purposes. A platform or DTI complaint may help secure consumer remedies; the bank or e-wallet may try to contain the transfer; and a police or NBI complaint may begin a criminal investigation. Filing one does not necessarily replace the others.

First, secure your money and accounts

Contact the financial institution from which the payment was sent. Use only contact details displayed in the institution’s official app, on the back of your card, or on its official website—not a number supplied by the seller.

Give the institution:

The amount, date, time, and transaction reference number
The recipient’s account or wallet number and displayed name
The reason you believe the transaction was fraudulent
Whether you disclosed an OTP, password, PIN, card details, or identification document
Any police, NBI, platform, or DTI reference number already issued

Ask the institution to:

Mark the transfer as disputed or fraudulent
Check whether the funds can still be held, recalled, or traced
Secure or temporarily restrict your account if credentials were exposed
Replace affected cards or credentials
Give you a written complaint or case reference number

The Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act permits BSP-supervised institutions to temporarily hold funds involved in a disputed transaction, subject to BSP rules and statutory limits. It does not guarantee reimbursement. Liability and restitution can depend on matters such as the institution’s security controls, the manner in which the transaction was authorized, and the evidence established during investigation.

If the institution does not resolve your complaint, follow its formal escalation process. Complaints involving BSP-supervised banks, e-money issuers, and other financial service providers may then be escalated through the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Keep the institution’s final response or proof that you first complained directly to it.

If you disclosed an OTP or password, immediately change the affected password and any reused passwords, enable multi-factor authentication, terminate unfamiliar sessions, and check whether the scammer changed your recovery email or phone number. Never give a caller a new OTP supposedly needed to “reverse” the transaction.

Preserve evidence before reporting

Do not rely on screenshots alone if the original material is still available. Preserve both the visible content and identifying details that may help investigators or platforms locate records.

Save:

The complete URL of the seller’s profile, page, group, shop, listing, or advertisement
The account username, display name, page ID, phone number, email address, and stated business address
Screenshots or screen recordings of the profile, listing, comments, reviews, and advertisements
The full conversation, including voice messages and deleted-message notices
Order confirmations, invoices, receipts, shipping labels, tracking numbers, and parcel photographs
Bank, card, remittance, or e-wallet receipts and reference numbers
The recipient’s account name, account or wallet number, QR code, and institution
The date and time of each material event
Photographs and an unboxing video if an empty parcel, counterfeit item, or materially different product arrived
Messages in which the seller promised delivery, a refund, a specific product, or a particular condition
Copies of identification or registration documents the seller presented, without posting them publicly
Records of your reports to the platform, seller, bank, DTI, police, or NBI

Export conversations where the service allows it. Retain the original files and devices; repeated editing, cropping, or annotation may remove useful metadata. Prepare a short chronological account stating what was represented, what you relied on, how much you paid, what occurred afterward, and what remedy you requested.

Do not hack the seller’s account, impersonate another buyer, threaten anyone, or publicly expose unverified personal information. Those acts can create separate legal and safety problems.

Report the account to the platform

Use the shopping app’s resolution center or the social-media service’s reporting function. Select the most accurate category, such as fraud, scam, non-delivery, counterfeit goods, impersonation, or account compromise.

Your report should identify:

The order or transaction
The specific false representation
The payment and recipient
The loss suffered
The remedy requested
The evidence attached

Ask the platform to preserve account, listing, transaction, and access records for lawful investigation. A platform ordinarily cannot disclose private subscriber information merely because a victim asks for it. Under the Internet Transactions Act of 2023, covered platforms may be required to provide identifying information in response to a subpoena from a competent authority arising from a sworn complaint.

For covered online transactions, e-marketplaces and other digital platforms must provide a redress mechanism through which users can report unlawful accounts or information. Their civil liability is not automatic; it depends on the platform’s role, notice, diligence, and the conditions stated in the law.

Complain to the seller before escalating a covered consumer dispute

For a purchase from an online business, submit a clear written complaint through the seller’s or platform’s internal redress process. State the transaction details, the problem, and whether you seek repair, replacement, refund, or another lawful remedy.

The Internet Transactions Act generally requires an aggrieved party to use the covered platform’s, marketplace’s, or e-retailer’s internal redress mechanism before filing a complaint with a court or appropriate government agency. The mechanism is deemed exhausted when the matter remains unresolved seven calendar days after filing.

Keep proof of the filing date and the response. This seven-day process should not be treated as a reason to delay:

Notifying a bank or e-wallet while funds may still be traceable
Securing a compromised account
Reporting threats, extortion, identity theft, or continuing criminal activity
Seeking emergency police assistance

The Act applies to covered business-to-business and business-to-consumer internet transactions connected to the Philippine market. It expressly excludes ordinary consumer-to-consumer transactions. A one-time sale by another private individual may therefore fall outside this particular statute, although fraud, contract, civil, and criminal laws may still apply.

File a consumer complaint with DTI

DTI is the appropriate starting point when the complaint concerns an online merchant, e-retailer, marketplace, or other business selling non-financial goods or services.

Submit the complaint through the official DTI Consumer Care portal or ask the nearest DTI office for the current filing channel. Include:

Your complete contact details
The merchant’s known name and contact information
The platform and account involved
A concise statement of facts
The amount paid and remedy requested
Proof of payment
The listing, conversation, receipt, and delivery evidence
Proof that you first used the internal redress mechanism, when applicable

A seller’s failure to deliver does not automatically prove a crime. DTI can address consumer and trade violations, while intentional deception may separately justify a criminal complaint.

For a defect, malfunction, loss not caused by the consumer, failure to honor a warranty, or other merchant liability, the Internet Transactions Act recognizes repair, replacement, refund, and other remedies available under the Consumer Act of the Philippines and related laws. The appropriate remedy depends on the facts and the nature of the product or service.

A claim for damages under the Internet Transactions Act must be filed before the court or DTI within two years from the time the cause of action arose. Other causes of action can have different prescriptive periods, so do not assume that every claim has the same deadline.

Report suspected criminal fraud

Report promptly when the evidence suggests that the seller never intended to perform, used a false identity, fabricated proof of shipment, took over another person’s account, obtained financial credentials through deception, operated multiple fake shops, or continued soliciting payments after disappearing.

You may approach:

The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group or the nearest police station with cybercrime capability
The National Bureau of Investigation, which lists cybercrime and fraud among its services
The Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime for its current cybercrime-reporting information
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center for its current incident-reporting channel

Check the agency’s official website immediately before filing because intake forms, office locations, and electronic reporting channels can change.

Bring a government-issued ID, your written chronology, original or clearly organized copies of the evidence, and a list of the accounts, numbers, URLs, and institutions involved. Be prepared to execute a sworn complaint or affidavit. Tell the investigator if the seller is still contacting you, funds may still be moving, other victims are known, or an account is likely to be deleted.

A dishonest online sale may constitute estafa under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code if its legal elements—including the required deceit or abuse of confidence and resulting damage—are proved. Section 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 also addresses crimes under the Revised Penal Code and special laws when committed through information and communications technology. The exact offense and penalty depend on the proven conduct; a bad transaction, delay, or breach of contract is not automatically estafa.

Phishing and deceptive acquisition of financial-account credentials may also fall under the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act. Selling, lending, renting, or knowingly allowing an account to receive criminal proceeds can expose a person to liability as a money mule. Do not agree to receive or forward “refunds” or “commissions” through your account for someone else.

Which report should you make?

Situation	Immediate route
Money was transferred to a scammer	Report immediately to the sending bank or e-wallet; provide the recipient details and transaction reference
Purchase was made through a shopping app	Open a platform dispute, seek a refund, and preserve the order record
A business seller refuses to deliver or refund	Use internal redress; if unresolved after seven calendar days, file with DTI
Seller appears fake or used deliberate deception	Report to PNP-ACG or NBI in addition to the platform and financial institution
Your bank or e-wallet account was accessed	Secure the account, dispute the transactions, and report to the financial institution and law enforcement
A private individual made a one-time social-media sale	Platform, financial-institution, civil, and criminal remedies may apply; DTI jurisdiction under the Internet Transactions Act may not
Personal data or identification documents were misused	Secure affected accounts and consider a complaint to the National Privacy Commission if a personal-data violation is involved
Threats or extortion are continuing	Contact the police urgently; do not pay or arrange an in-person confrontation without law-enforcement advice

Common mistakes that can weaken a report

Waiting several days before notifying the bank or e-wallet
Continuing to send “release,” “tax,” “insurance,” or “verification” payments
Deleting the conversation out of embarrassment or anger
Blocking the seller before recording the profile, URL, and messages
Sending the scammer your police report, new address, passwords, or additional identification
Posting full account numbers, IDs, addresses, or other sensitive evidence publicly
Treating a platform report as a substitute for a bank dispute or criminal complaint
Filing an exaggerated or knowingly false report
Assuming that a displayed account name identifies the actual scam organizer; the account may belong to a money mule or identity-theft victim
Paying a supposed “recovery agent” who promises guaranteed retrieval of the funds

Keep every acknowledgement and reference number. If an agency refers the matter elsewhere, record the date, office, and person who handled the referral.

When help is urgent

Seek immediate assistance if:

A scammer is currently moving funds or asking for another payment
Your bank, e-wallet, email, or social-media account has been taken over
You disclosed an OTP, PIN, password, recovery code, card security code, or identity document
The scammer is threatening violence, extortion, or publication of private material
A child, senior citizen, or otherwise vulnerable person is being targeted
A large amount, business payroll, borrowed money, or several victims are involved
You are being instructed to receive, split, withdraw, convert, or forward suspicious funds
Important evidence or the fraudulent account is about to disappear
A filing deadline may be approaching

For substantial losses, disputed account authorization, identity theft, or a possible lawsuit, consult a Philippine lawyer promptly. The Public Attorney’s Office may be an option for persons who satisfy its eligibility and merit requirements.

FAQ

Can I still report if I voluntarily sent the payment?

Yes. A voluntary transfer does not prevent you from reporting deception. It may, however, affect how the financial institution evaluates reimbursement. Provide the exact communications that induced the payment and do not describe the transaction as “unauthorized” if you personally approved it. State accurately that you authorized the transfer because of an alleged fraudulent representation.

Will the bank automatically return my money?

No. The bank or e-wallet may attempt to hold or trace disputed funds, but recovery depends on whether funds remain available, the payment channel, applicable rules, the institution’s controls, and the investigation’s findings. Report immediately and obtain a written case number.

Should I wait seven days before going to the police?

Not where there is suspected crime, continuing loss, account compromise, threats, or a risk that evidence or funds will disappear. The seven-calendar-day rule concerns exhaustion of the internal redress mechanism for covered Internet Transactions Act disputes; it should not be used to postpone urgent security or law-enforcement action.

Can DTI investigate every Facebook Marketplace or social-media sale?

Not necessarily. The Internet Transactions Act covers qualifying business transactions but excludes consumer-to-consumer transactions. Whether a seller is acting as a business depends on the evidence, not merely the platform used. Other civil or criminal remedies may remain available.

Is non-delivery always estafa?

No. Estafa requires proof of its legal elements. Genuine delivery failures, mistakes, or later breaches of contract may be civil or consumer disputes rather than crimes. Evidence that the seller used a fabricated identity, false stock, fake tracking information, repeated schemes, or deceptive statements existing before or at the time of payment may be important, but investigators and prosecutors must assess the complete facts.

Can screenshots be used as evidence?

They can be useful, but their authenticity, completeness, and connection to the relevant person or account may need to be established. Preserve original messages, URLs, transaction records, exported conversations, and devices whenever possible. Do not alter the underlying files.

Can I publicly post the seller’s ID and account details to warn others?

Public exposure can create privacy, defamation, misidentification, and safety risks—especially where an account belongs to a mule or identity-theft victim. Give complete information to the platform, financial institution, DTI, and investigators. If warning others, confine statements to accurate, supportable facts and redact sensitive personal and financial information.

Can I recover the purchase price and also pursue a criminal complaint?

Potentially. Consumer, civil, financial, administrative, and criminal processes have different purposes and requirements. A refund does not automatically determine whether a crime occurred, and a criminal report does not guarantee recovery. Disclose any refund or settlement to the agencies handling the matter.

Official legal and reporting sources

This article provides general Philippine legal information, not legal advice for a particular case. Jurisdiction, available remedies, liability, and deadlines may depend on the parties, platform, payment method, documents, and specific representations involved. Official sources and procedures were checked as of September 15, 2026.