Over 75% of Filipinos Hit by Scams as SEC and TikTok Take Action

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has partnered with TikTok to launch a public education initiative aimed at combating financial scams and investment fraud.

The SEC and ByteDance Philippines Inc. formalised the collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 9 December 2025 in Taguig City.

SEC Commissioner Rogelio Quevedo highlighted the platform’s ability to engage the public through video, noting that preventing fraud is essential to maintaining investor confidence.

Under the agreement, the SEC will refer suspected fraudulent content to TikTok for review against the platform’s community guidelines.

The partnership also involves co-developing videos for the #ThinkTwice campaign, designed to teach users how to verify information and avoid schemes.

The initial video will specifically address Ponzi schemes.

This initiative follows a survey by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, which found that over 75% of Filipino adults encountered at least one scam in the past year.

Yves Gonzalez, Head of Public Policy for the Philippines at TikTok, stated that the platform has always prioritised the safety of its community, investing in technology, human moderation, and educational initiatives to get ahead of emerging threats.

The educational content will be distributed via TikTok’s social channels and the #ThinkTwice Resource Hub.

In addition to content creation, the partners will hold policy dialogues to discuss fraud trends and risk controls for financial services on the platform.

Featured image by goodmood_studio via Freepik.