A businesswoman lost hundreds of thousands of pesos to a call scam she initially believed was from her bank, one of the growing cases of phone-based fraud now rising across the country.

Kassy Braganza said the caller seemed legitimate, knowing specific details about her bank rewards.

“Tinatanong nila, ‘Are you this person? Ito ba pangalan mo?’ And sabi ko, ‘Yes, how can I help you?’ Ah, meron po kayong rewards… Sabi ko, ‘Oh great,’” she recalled.

“At that time, I was about to travel, so sabi ko, puwede ko i-convert rewards ko, and tama, alam nila kung magkano yung rewards ko,” she added.

But the next day, she woke up to find her accounts emptied.

“Nakita ko na lang, my bank account was wiped out and even my credit card had transactions… if I’m not mistaken, mga hundreds of thousands din siya,” Braganza said.

According to Whoscall, a global anti-scam application, call scams surged by 78 percent in the third quarter of 2025, from 34,000 reported scam calls in the previous quarter to over 62,000.

Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) Undersecretary Aboy Paraiso said many scammers have shifted from text messages to voice calls, often powered by artificial intelligence.

“Kasi nag-migrate na sila from text messages… even calls are now prompted by AI. The introduction of AI in scams has really changed the landscape of scams,” Paraiso said.

“With AI now, it can be automated,” he added.

Scam Watch founder Jocel de Guzman explained how victims are often tricked into giving verification codes during fake verification calls.

“They will ask you to verify your identity. Tandaan niyo po, pag sila ang tumawag, you’re not obligated to give your name… Sasabihin nila na para po makasiguro ako, padadalhan ko kayo ng verification code… Pag binigay niyo yan habang kausap pa kayo, ginagamit na credit card niyo or tina-transfer na pera niyo. 'Yung four to six digits na yan, yan po yung OTP,” de Guzman warned.

While scam text messages have dropped by 42 percent, officials caution that scams may rise again as the holiday season approaches.

“We can almost predict na because of the bonuses, maraming financial scams… may mga discounts kunwari, and because yung malalamig ang Pasko, we can also predict mga love scams papalo rin,” Paraiso sad.

The public is encouraged to report suspicious links or calls to Scam Vault PH, an online reporting hub supported by the CICC and the Philippine National Police.