Consumer fraud topped complaints logged among senior citizens in 2025 — CICC

Consumer fraud was the most reported complaint among senior citizens in 2025, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said Tuesday.

During a press conference in Intramuros, Manila, CICC division chief Cleo Dongga-as said the agency received 366 complaints from its Cybercrime Complaint Center.

“Ang ginagamit nila ay tinatawag na social engineering or parang manipulation technique na kinukuha yung trust or ine-exploit yung human psychology para ma-entice yung victim nila tulad ng senior citizens to reveal information,” Dongga-as said.

(They’re using social engineering. It is like a manipulation technique where they gain trust or exploit human psychology to entice their victims, such as senior citizens, to reveal information.)

This social engineering is carried out through phishing or vishing, he added.

Dongga-as warned the public to avoid taking calls from unknown numbers or clicking links in messages.

He said the CICC can assist victims of hacked or impersonated social media accounts by coordinating with platforms to take down fraudulent accounts and referring those who wish to file cases to the Philippine National Police.

CICC’s Cybercrime Complaint Center recorded 18,633 complaints from more than 13,000 individuals in 2025.

In the same data, consumer fraud logged a total of 6,453 complaints, accounting for 35% of total complaints. — BAP, GMA Integrated News