Southeast Asian Scam Networks Cost Victims Up to $114B in a Year: UN
The UN says Southeast Asia’s scam economy has become a single transnational criminal system, with groups sharing services like money laundering, fraud, trafficking, and data theft across common infrastructure. UNODC estimates scam losses across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand at $88.3 billion to $114.1 billion in 2025, with much of the proceeds laundered through crypto. The report says scam compounds rely on forced labor from at least 80 countries and are expanding recruitment to people with European and North American language skills. New tools include generative AI, deepfakes, malvertising, and satellite internet, which helps operations avoid local telecom controls. It also flags growing smuggling routes in the Sulu and Celebes Seas and online gambling schemes targeting younger users. UNODC says only coordinated international action and seizure of criminal assets can disrupt these networks.
