No need to be surprised why Filipinos are vulnerable to shopping scams like the fake Marshall ads you’d often see on Facebook: according to the 2023 Asia Scam Report, the Philippines has the highest scam rate among 11 Asian countries at 35.9%.

The Philippines’ 35.9% rating for Filipinos being victims of shopping scams is exceptionally high: for comparison, China is the second-highest in shopping scams at 27.2%, followed by Indonesia at 26%. Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) Executive Director Alexander Ramos is alarmed at these findings, especially with the upcoming Christmas Season where shopping scams become more prevalent. “Scammers take advantage of the high volume of online shopping and people’s vulnerability during this period,”  Ramos explained.

Looking deep into the 2023 Asia Scam Report, one of the reasons why Filipinos are gullible to shopping scams is that they easily believe in false promises even if it is too good to be true. A perfect example of this is the proliferation of fake Marshall ads on Facebook, where Filipinos would tend to bite those impossibly low deals on Marshall products even if the price is too good to be true. Other reasons why Filipinos easily fall into shopping scams include the lure of incentives (ie massive discounts) being offered to them and their tendency on choosing to take a risk.

With those figures, we urge everyone to be extra vigilant in shopping especially this Christmas season. Always remember: if it is too good to be true, chances are that the deal is most likely a scam.