The New Social Threat: Why Filipinos Can No Longer Trust Everything They See on Social Media

Manila, Philippines -- Social media used to be where Filipinos caught up with friends, discovered music, watched videos and shared family updates. Increasingly, however, it has also become where criminals build trust, collect personal information, impersonate people and manipulate users into handing over money. The threat is no longer limited to people who are “not tech-savvy.” It can affect teenagers, young professionals, parents and senior citizens alike.

The numbers underline the scale of the problem. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2024 National Information and Communications Technology Household Survey, 62.5 percent of Filipino ICT users aged 10 and above experienced at least one cybersecurity incident in 2024. SMS fraud was the most common, affecting 57.1 percent of those who experienced an incident, followed by hacking and phishing. Yet only 1.9 percent reported incidents to authorities.

Social media is also changing the sophistication of these attacks. AI-generated images, synthetic videos and deepfake identities can now make a stranger appear considerably more convincing. In August, the National Privacy Commission warned about the growing circulation of AI-generated images and videos depicting identifiable people, noting that a person's face and likeness can constitute personal information under the Data Privacy Act.

The danger extends beyond fake profiles. Philippine authorities have recently moved to increase oversight of platforms used by children. The NPC issued show-cause orders involving Meta, Roblox, Reddit and Discord, while emphasizing stronger privacy and safety protections for young users. The CICC has separately pushed discussions around age assurance, online grooming, fraud and malicious anonymous activity.

For younger Filipinos, the risks can include grooming, sextortion, cyberbullying, malicious links and exposure to harmful content. For older users, the attack may arrive disguised as an investment opportunity, government assistance, a relative asking for money or a romantic relationship. But the dividing line is not really age.

A recent Philippine Information Agency report on AI-powered romance scams noted that the largest reported victim group was actually people aged 18 to 29. Investigators and anti-scam advocates have observed criminals using AI-generated photographs, automated conversations and deepfake video calls to make fraudulent identities appear genuine.

That should change how we think about digital safety. Being young, educated or technologically comfortable does not automatically make someone scam-proof. The PSA finding that 62.5% of Filipino ICT users experienced a cybersecurity incident, while only 1.9% reported the incident to authorities. [1]

My personal rule is simple: slow down whenever a digital interaction creates urgency, fear, excitement or intimacy.Those emotions are precisely what scammers exploit. The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group recently emphasized that emotional pressure—not simply lack of knowledge—can make people vulnerable to scams.

Users should independently verify accounts before sending money or personal information, avoid clicking unexpected links, enable multifactor authentication, use unique passwords, restrict public personal information and question images or videos that seem unusually convincing. Parents and older family members should also have regular, judgment-free conversations about scams so that victims feel comfortable asking for help rather than hiding a mistake.

And when something goes wrong, report it quickly. The NBI recently arrested an alleged online fraud syndicate involved in romance scams and cryptocurrency investment fraud, demonstrating how organized these operations can become.

The future of social media safety will not simply be about learning which links are dangerous. It will be about learning when not to trust what we see, hear or feel online.

In the age of AI, the most important cybersecurity feature may be the few seconds we give ourselves to stop, verify and think.

Internet references / reporting sources

[1] Philippine Statistics Authority — One in Three Filipinos was Aware of Cybersucurity Philippine Statistics Authority