It has invaded other parts of the Pacific, Asia, the Indian Ocean, Europe and the Americas, spreading with the trade of ornamental plants.

[3] It has been subsequently reported as an introduced pest from different parts of the world and seems to spread easily through the international trade with ornamental plants.

[4] It is now recorded as widespread in south-eastern Asia (southern China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia), on various Pacific islands from Papua New Guinea in the west to French Polynesia in the east, on several islands in the Indian Ocean (Maldives, Reunion), and on indoor or glasshouse plants from parts of Europe (France, Netherlands, U.K.).

[9][4][6] The scale cover excreted by the second instar females of F. phantasma is elongated, about 1.2 mm long and light to dark brown with a weakly developed longitudinal ridge.

[5][4][10] As with other scale insects, only the first instar, the crawler stage, is mobile and can move to other parts of the host plant or spread by wind.

Infested leaves become yellow (chlorosis), they drop prematurely, and host plants may wilt and die due to the attack.

[6] Management of infestations is difficult, due to the scales being protected by their wax cover and important natural enemies being sensitive to chemical pesticides.

The natural enemies include predacious lacewings, ladybugs, thrips and mite species, as well as parasitoids from the genera Aphytis and Encarsia.