Romance Scams in the Philippines

Penalties, Remedies & Practical Enforcement Pathways

1. What Is a “Romance Scam”?

A romance (or love) scam is a scheme in which the offender feigns or cultivates an intimate relationship—usually online—to obtain money, property, sexual favors, or personally identifiable information from the victim. Philippine law does not define a standalone crime of “romance scamming”; instead, prosecutors charge it under a mosaic of penal, special, and remedial statutes, depending on:

the modus (face-to-face, social media, dating app, email, etc.);
the gain (cash, nude images, credit-card data, cryptocurrency);
the protected class of the victim (minor, woman, OFW, senior citizen); and
aggravating factors (use of computers, syndicate, large scale, transnational element).

2. Core Criminal Statutes Commonly Invoked

Law / Provision	Conduct Covered	Basic Penalty	Key Pointers for Romance-Scam Scenarios
Revised Penal Code (RPC) Art. 315 (Estafa/Swindling)	Fraudulent deceit causing damage	Depends on amount: ‒ ≤ ₱40k: prisión correccional (6 mo 1 d–6 yr) ‒ > ₱2.4 M: reclusión temporal (12 yr 1 d–20 yr)	Bread-and-butter charge when money or property is obtained through false pretenses of love, engagement, or marriage.
RPC Art. 318 (Other Deceits)	Acts of deceit not falling under Art. 315	Arresto mayor (1 mo 1 d–6 mo)	Catch-all for small-value scams or emotional deception without quantifiable loss.
RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act) — Sec. 4(b)(2) Computer-related Fraud	“Unauthorized input, alteration or deletion of computer data or program… resulting in fraud”	One degree higher than the RPC penalty for estafa + fine ₱200k–₱1 M	Applies the aggravating-by-one-degree rule when the deceit is committed via computer, phone, or dating app.
RA 10175 — Sec. 4(b)(3) Identity Theft	Acquisition of identifying data without consent	Prisión mayor (6 yr 1 d–12 yr) + fine ₱200k–₱1 M	Often paired with estafa where scammers open bank/e-wallet accounts in the victim’s name.
RA 8484 (Access Devices Regulation Act)	Unauthorized credit- or debit-card use	Imprisonment 6 yr–20 yr + fine up to double the fraud amount	If scammers convince the victim to reveal card details or OTPs.
RA 9995 (Anti-Photo & Video Voyeurism Act)	Publication or threat to publish nude images	Prisión correccional (6 mo 1 d–6 yr) + fine ₱100k–₱500k	Covers “sextortion” – scammers threaten to release intimate photos unless paid.
RA 9775 (Anti-Child Pornography) & RA 7610 / RA 11596	Sexual exploitation of minors	Reclusión temporal to reclusión perpetua + ₱2 M fine	When the victim is a minor, penalties escalate sharply.
RA 10364 (Expanded Trafficking in Persons Act)	Recruitment, transport or harboring by means of deception for exploitation	Qualified trafficking if victim is a child → Life imprisonment + ₱2 M–₱5 M fine	“Sweethearting” to lure Filipina women abroad into forced sex work can amount to trafficking.
RA 9262 (Violence Against Women & Children)	Psychological, economic, or sexual violence by a dating partner	Prisión mayor (or higher for repeated acts) + protective orders	Invoked if the scammer is a current or former intimate partner causing mental anguish.
RA 11648 & Articles 266-A/B RPC (Rape and Sexual Assault)	Sexual intercourse obtained through deceit	Reclusión perpetua	Where physical meeting leads to sexual abuse.

Penalties under RA 10175 are always imposed one degree higher than their RPC counterparts, plus mandatory fines; accessory penalties (disqualification from public office, confiscation of computer equipment) may also be ordered.

3. Ancillary & Administrative Laws

RA 9160, as amended (Anti-Money Laundering Act) — Banks, e-wallets, and crypto exchanges must file Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs); AMLC can freeze scam proceeds and seek civil forfeiture.
RA 10927 extended AMLA coverage to casinos, useful where chips or pagcor e-games are used to launder romance-scam funds.
RA 11934 (SIM Registration Act, 2022) — Requires real-name SIM registration; aids tracing of scammer phone numbers.
BSP Circular No. 1160 (Financial Consumer Protection Act, RA 11765) — Victims may file administrative complaints with the BSP against banks or e-wallets that fail to observe “Know-Your-Customer” or account-opening protocols that could have prevented the scam.

4. Remedies Available to Victims

A. Criminal

File an Affidavit-Complaint with the Office of the City / Provincial Prosecutor where any element of the offense occurred or where the victim resides (if an online offense, RA 10175 gives concurrent venue).
Evidence Preservation:
- screenshots, chat logs, metadata headers;
- bank receipts, GCASH transaction history, crypto-wallet hashes;
- notarized certification under Sec. 2, Rule 5 of the Rules on Electronic Evidence.
Law-Enforcement Units:
- PNP-ACG (Anti-Cybercrime Group) – national hotline (02) 8414-1560; regional e-Cybercrime Units.
- NBI-CCD (Cybercrime Division) – complaint portal ccu.nbi.gov.ph.
- DICT-CICC may assist in takedown of fake profiles.

B. Civil

Civil Cause of Action	Statutory Basis	Relief
Fraud as a quasi-delict	Civil Code Arts. 19-21, 33, 2176	Actual, moral, and exemplary damages; attorney’s fees
Independent civil action for defamation, fraud, or physical injuries	RPC & Civil Code Art. 33	Claim may proceed simultaneously with criminal case
Action for reconveyance / declaratory relief vs. banks or e-wallets	New Civil Code & BSP regulations	Restitution; freeze and garnishment orders
Writ of Preliminary Attachment under Rule 57	Rules of Court	Prevents dissipation of assets during trial
Writ of Habeas Data	A.M. No. 08-1-16-SC	Forcible deletion of nude images and personal data

C. Administrative / Protective

Barangay Protection Order (BPO) under RA 9262 – for women victims facing threats.
AMLC Ex-Parte Freeze Order (Sec. 10 RA 9160) – effective 20 days, extendible by CA.
Immigration Look-out Bulletin Order (ILBO) via DOJ – prevents foreign scammer’s flight.

5. Procedure in a Nutshell

Complaint → Prosecutor’s Inquest / Preliminary Investigation
          → Information filed in RTC (Cybercrime court) or MTC
          → Warrant of Arrest / Hold-Departure Order
          → Arraignment → Pre-Trial → Trial
          → Judgment (conviction) with Restitution & Damages
          → Appeal to CA → SC

Cybercrime cases are raffled to designated cybercrime courts (A.M. No. 03-03-03-SC).
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) may provide digital forensics reports admissible under Rule 4, Sec. 11 of the Cybercrime IRR.
Statute of Limitations: — Estafa: 15 years (Art. 90 RPC); Cyber-estafa: 15 years plus one day as the higher-degree penalty pushes it out of the 10-year bracket.
Bail is generally a matter of right for penalties < reclusión temporal; for large-scale or syndicated estafa the amount is substantial.

6. Selected Jurisprudence

Case	G.R. No. / Date	Holding Relevant to Romance Scams
People v. Remo	G.R. 254143, 5 Jan 2021	Affirmed cyber-estafa conviction where Facebook恋愛 used to deceive OFW; clarified venue under RA 10175.
Spouses Olivares v. Razon	G.R. 237788, 27 Jul 2022	Victims may pursue simultaneous civil and criminal actions for fraud induced by online romance.
People v. Gamboa	CA-G.R. CR-HC 12392, 2 Jul 2019	Email-based “fiancé visa” racket convicted of syndicated estafa (penalty: reclusión temporal max).
People v. Dichoso	G.R. 231702, 10 Feb 2020	Sextortion using stolen intimate photos punished under RA 9995 and RA 10175; court ordered immediate deletion of images.
People v. G.R. Villafuerte	G.R. 200188, 17 Oct 2018	Jurisdiction attaches where any indispensable act (login, money transfer) occurred, even if scammer abroad.

(While the Supreme Court rarely uses the term “romance scam,” these cases crystallize principles on cyber-fraud, deceit, and sextortion.)

7. Cross-Border & Transnational Dimension

Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) requests (e.g., PH-US MLAT 1994) enable subpoena of foreign platform records.
Budapest Convention on Cybercrime (PH accession 2023) streamlines preservation requests (Art. 29) and real-time interception (Art. 31).
Extradition is possible if the foreign scammer’s acts constitute an extraditable offense (dual criminality)—estafa and wire fraud are common grounds.

8. Prevention, Compliance & Sectoral Duties

Banks / EMI Wallets
- Implement Customer Due Diligence and block “sleeper” mule accounts (BSP Circular 1122-2021).
Dating Platforms & ISPs
- Under RA 10175 IRR Sec. 29, service providers must retain traffic data for 6 months and content data for 6 months upon preservation request.
Telcos
- SIM registration (RA 11934) and mandatory selfie verification mitigate “burner” accounts.
Employers of OFWs
- POEA rules require pre-departure orientation on online romance fraud targeting OFWs.

9. Practical Tips for Victims & Counsel

Freeze first, sue later: move quickly for an ex-parte AMLC freeze.
Gather hash values and notarize screenshots to avoid authenticity objections.
Use Cybercrime Court e-Warrant procedure (A.M. No. 17-11-12-SC) for quick disclosure orders against Facebook, Google, etc.
Consider a provisional TRO in civil court to compel social-media takedown of fake or extortionate content.
Advise clients on psychological-trauma assessment; a psychiatrist’s report strengthens moral-damage claims.

10. Conclusion

While Philippine statutes do not label “romance scamming” as a discrete crime, the legal architecture is robust—combining classic estafa, computer-related fraud, identity theft, voyeurism law, anti-trafficking statutes, and potent civil and AML remedies. Prosecutors typically layer multiple charges, and the Cybercrime Prevention Act’s one-degree-higher rule ensures stiffer penalties when love is weaponized through digital means. Effective relief hinges on rapid evidence preservation, interdisciplinary coordination (law enforcement, AMLC, ISPs), and strategic use of both criminal and civil forums to secure restitution and deterrence.

This article reflects Philippine law and jurisprudence up to June 13 - 2025.