Quick answer
If you paid an online seller and suspect a scam, contact your bank, e-wallet, or card issuer immediately, then save the listing, messages, order details, and payment records. Report the account or listing through the shopping or social media platform. For a suspected crime, contact the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) through its reporting page or hotline 1326, or bring your evidence to the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG). If the problem is a purchase from a business seller, you may also use the DTI Consumer CARe system. (foi.gov.ph)
Report promptly even if you are unsure whether you can recover the money. A bank report, platform dispute, consumer complaint, and criminal report serve different purposes. Filing one does not automatically file the others or guarantee a refund.
What to do first
- Secure your money and accounts. Use the bank’s or e-wallet’s official app, website, or number on your card to report the transaction. Give the amount, time, reference number, and recipient account details. Ask what dispute, card blocking, or fund tracing steps are available. If you shared a password, one-time password (OTP), or account access, tell the provider and change affected passwords from a trusted device. Ask for a case number. BSP rules provide a process for financial institutions to assess disputed transactions and, where applicable, temporarily hold funds; a hold or recovery is not automatic. (bsp.gov.ph)
- Preserve the evidence before the post or account disappears. Save the product listing and URL, seller profile and username, advertisements, full conversation, promised delivery terms, order number, tracking details, receipts, transaction reference, and recipient name or account number. Keep original emails, files, and screenshots with visible dates where possible. Write a short timeline of what happened.
- Open a dispute with the platform. Use the order’s official help or refund function if there is one, and report the seller profile or fraudulent listing. Keep the ticket number and responses. Do not mark an order “received” merely because the seller promises a later refund.
- Report suspected fraud to the authorities. Submit a factual account and copies of your evidence to CICC, call 1326, or inquire with the PNP-ACG about filing a formal complaint. PNP guidance has directed complainants seeking a formal ACG complaint to its headquarters in Camp Crame or a Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit; confirm current intake arrangements before travelling. (foi.gov.ph)
If the person is threatening you, has taken over an account, or is still moving money through it, treat account security and the report to your financial provider as urgent.
Which complaint route fits your case?
| Situation | Practical route |
|---|---|
| You paid, but a business seller did not deliver, sent the wrong item, or refused a justified remedy | Raise the issue through the platform or seller’s complaint process, then consider a DTI consumer complaint with your transaction proof. |
| A fake shop or social media account took payment and vanished, or used false identities or claims to induce payment | Report to the platform and financial provider, and report the suspected crime to CICC or PNP-ACG. |
| Your card, bank account, or e-wallet was accessed or charged without your authority | Contact the financial provider at once. If dissatisfied with its handling, escalate the complaint about that provider through the BSP Consumer Assistance Mechanism. Report suspected crime separately. |
| The deal was a one-off sale between private individuals | Platform and law-enforcement reporting may still help. The special protections of the Internet Transactions Act do not cover consumer-to-consumer transactions, so do not assume its platform complaint rules apply to your deal. |
The Internet Transactions Act, Republic Act No. 11967, generally addresses covered business-to-consumer internet transactions. For complaints governed by that Act, an aggrieved party must use the platform’s, e-marketplace’s, or e-retailer’s internal redress mechanism before filing a complaint with a court or appropriate government agency; that mechanism is deemed exhausted if the complaint remains unresolved seven calendar days after filing. Its scope and the facts of your transaction matter. This requirement does not mean you should delay an urgent report to your bank or wait to secure your accounts. (Supreme Court E-Library)
DTI says a consumer complaint may include the parties’ contact details, a narration of facts, the remedy sought, proof of transaction, and the complainant’s government-issued ID. Its Consumer CARe portal accepts electronic complaints within its stated business-to-consumer coverage. Keep a copy of everything submitted and your reference number. (consumercare.dti.gov.ph)
For a complaint about a bank or other BSP-supervised institution, first use that institution’s own complaint channel and retain its reference number. The BSP describes its Consumer Assistance Mechanism as a second-level recourse when you are dissatisfied with the institution’s response; it provides the BSP Online Buddy and other assistance channels. A BSP complaint about a provider is not a substitute for a criminal report against a scammer. (bsp.gov.ph)
What should you say in a report?
State the facts in order: where you saw the offer; what was promised; when and how you communicated; what you paid and to whom; what happened afterward; and what remedy you seek. Attach copies of the records that support each point. Identify an account holder or profile only as the information shown in your records; you may not know who actually controlled it.
A failed delivery or refund dispute does not, by itself, prove a crime. Depending on the evidence, deliberate false pretenses used to obtain payment may raise estafa issues under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code. Other laws may apply to account takeover or financial-account scamming. Investigators and prosecutors must assess the actual conduct and evidence; calling every bad online transaction “cybercrime” can obscure the issue. (lawphil.net)
Mistakes to avoid
- Sending more money to “release” a refund or parcel. Verify any request independently through the platform or provider’s official channel.
- Sharing an OTP, password, PIN, or recovery code with a purported investigator, seller, courier, or refund agent.
- Deleting chats or relying on a single cropped screenshot. Preserve the full exchange and transaction identifiers.
- Assuming a social media report reverses a payment. Contact the payment provider separately and quickly.
- Publicly posting someone’s personal details as a proven scammer. Give the evidence to the platform and authorities; an account name alone may not establish who was responsible.
Frequently asked questions
Can I report a scam if the amount is small?
Yes. Keep the same evidence and report it through the relevant channels. The amount alone does not determine whether a complaint may be made or whether the facts establish an offense.
Can I get my money back after a bank transfer or e-wallet payment?
Ask the provider immediately about its dispute and recovery process. The outcome depends on the transaction, available funds, evidence, and applicable rules. A police report can support an investigation, but it does not itself reverse a transfer.
Should I report to DTI or the police?
You may need both for different reasons. DTI handles relevant consumer concerns involving sellers or businesses; CICC and law enforcement receive reports of suspected scams or crimes. Start with the platform’s internal complaint mechanism where the Internet Transactions Act requires it, while promptly securing your accounts and notifying your payment provider. (Supreme Court E-Library)
What if I know only the seller’s username and payment account?
Report what you have. Save the profile URL, messages, transaction reference, and account details exactly as displayed. Do not guess the person’s identity. Authorities can assess what further information may lawfully be obtained.
This is general legal information for the Philippines, not advice on a specific case. Procedures and available remedies depend on the transaction and evidence. Official sources checked: 23 September 2026.