The Short Answer
Call your bank or e-wallet right away, through the hotline in its official app or website, and report the transaction. Under the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act, they may hold the disputed money for up to 30 days, but only if you report fast. Then save every screenshot and receipt, and report to the CICC hotline 1326, the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group or the NBI Cybercrime Division. Do not pay anyone who promises to "recover" your money for a fee.
Example: A Fake Text to Aling Nena of Jaro, Iloilo City
Names and details in this example are made up.
Nena Reyes lives in Barangay Tabuc Suba, Jaro, Iloilo City. Her son Mark works in Saudi Arabia and sends money to her e-wallet every month. One evening in August 2026, she gets a text that looks like it is from her e-wallet: her account will be "locked" unless she verifies it through a link. She clicks, types her mobile number and MPIN, then gives the one-time PIN (OTP) that arrives. Within minutes, ₱18,500 leaves her account in three transfers to an account she does not know.
What Nena does that night:
- Her neighbour helps her call the e-wallet's hotline, found in the official app, not in the text. She reports the three transfers, asks them to lock her account and to hold the money on the receiving account, and writes down the ticket number.
- She changes her MPIN and her email password.
- Before deleting anything, she screenshots the text, the sender's number, the fake link and the transaction receipts with their reference numbers.
- She calls 1326, the CICC hotline, and reports the scam.
The next day, she brings her ID, printed screenshots and a written timeline to the regional anti-cybercrime unit of the PNP in Iloilo City and files a complaint. She signs a sworn statement. Mark, in Riyadh, does not need to fly home; the complaint is his mother's to make.
Will she get the money back? It depends on whether the money was still in the receiving account when it was held, and on what the e-wallet's investigation finds. Under RA 12010, if an institution failed to keep adequate safeguards, it can be made to return the money, even before anyone is convicted. Nena should keep following up with the e-wallet using her ticket number.
A second message arrives a week later, from a "recovery agent" on Facebook offering to get her ₱18,500 back for a ₱3,000 fee. That is very likely a second scam. She does not pay.
First Hour: Stop the Money and Save the Proof
Call your bank or e-wallet using the hotline in its official app, its website or the back of your card, never a number from the scam message. Report the transaction, ask them to block your card or account and to hold the funds on the receiving account, and write down the ticket number. If you gave an OTP, tell them, and assume the account was taken over. Then change your passwords and PINs, starting with your email, bank and e-wallet apps.
Under the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act, Republic Act No. 12010 (RA 12010), approved on 20 July 2024, banks and e-wallets may temporarily hold funds in a disputed transaction for up to 30 days while they verify it with the other institutions involved.
Before you delete or block anything, save screenshots of the messages (with the sender, date and time), the fake links, the receipts and reference numbers, and the receiving account's name and number. Write a short timeline while you still remember; investigators may ask you to sign a sworn statement.
Where to Report
- CICC hotline 1326. The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center's Inter-Agency Response Center takes reports of online scams, 24/7, and works with the PNP and the NBI.
- PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG), at its offices and regional anti-cybercrime units.
- NBI Cybercrime Division, at NBI headquarters and regional offices. Its citizen's charter lists no fee for this service.
If your bank or e-wallet does not act on your report, you can complain to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). If an online seller took your money and never delivered, see also consumer complaints. If your personal data was leaked or misused, see data privacy complaints.
For the steps and papers, see reporting online scams and cybercrime.
The Laws That Apply
- RA 12010 (2024). Makes money muling a crime: using, lending, selling or buying a bank or e-wallet account to move scam money. It also punishes social engineering, such as pretending to be a bank to get your details, and treats large or organized schemes as economic sabotage (a heavier crime). Banks and e-wallets must protect accounts, and must make restitution (pay the money back) if they fail to keep adequate controls.
- Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, Republic Act No. 10175 (RA 10175). Covers computer-related fraud, identity theft and other crimes committed through computers and the internet. It also created the CICC.
- SIM Registration Act, Republic Act No. 11934 (RA 11934). Requires every SIM to be registered to a real person, so numbers used in scams can be traced.
Never lend or sell your bank or e-wallet account, even to a relative or "for a small commission". Under RA 12010, that can make you liable for money muling.
Getting Your Money Back Through a Case
The PNP or the NBI investigates and can file a criminal complaint with the prosecutor, with you as the complainant (the person making the complaint). Getting the money back through a criminal case can take a long time. If you know who the scammer is and the amount is up to ₱1,000,000, a small claims case may be another way to collect. See how to collect a small debt in court.
For help with a case, the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) and IBP legal aid assist people who qualify.
Common Questions
Saan Magre-report ng Scam? Ano ang Hotline?
Call 1326, the CICC's Inter-Agency Response Center. It is open 24/7. You can also go to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group or the NBI Cybercrime Division. But call your bank or e-wallet first.
Mababawi Ko pa ba ang Pera?
Sometimes, if you report fast. Under RA 12010, your bank or e-wallet may hold disputed funds for up to 30 days while it verifies the transaction. Once the money has been withdrawn, getting it back is much harder.
I Gave My OTP Myself. Is It My Fault?
Report it anyway, and tell the bank or e-wallet exactly what happened. Whether the institution must return the money depends on the facts and its investigation. Social engineering, like the fake text that got your OTP, is itself a crime under RA 12010.
Someone Is Offering to Recover My Money for a Fee. Is That Legit?
Be very careful. "Recovery agents" who ask for an upfront fee are often a second scam. Deal only with your bank or e-wallet through its official channels, and with the CICC, PNP or NBI.
A Friend Wants to Borrow My GCash or Bank Account to Receive Money. Pwede ba?
No. Lending, selling or buying an account to move scam money is money muling under RA 12010, and it is a crime. Say no, even to friends and relatives.
Not legal advice. This is general information. For advice on your own situation, consult a lawyer. If you cannot afford one, the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) or an IBP legal aid office may help for free.
Government fees, rules and requirements change, so always check with the office concerned before you go. This page explains the general rules; it cannot tell you how they apply to your own family or case. Last reviewed October 8, 2026.