UN Says Southeast Asia Scam Losses Hit Up to $114.1B in 2025
The UNODC said criminal groups are using AI and cryptocurrency to expand scams, with losses at least tripling from 2023.
- A United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report released Tuesday revealed Southeast Asia-based criminal groups built a massive illicit economy, with scams causing combined losses of $88.3 billion to $114.1 billion in 2025.
- As authorities in Thailand, China, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia conduct crackdowns on industrial-sized scam centers, criminal networks have responded by shifting operations offshore or operating on smaller, decentralized scales.
- Using AI-powered translations, crime syndicates target victims worldwide with deepfakes and phishing content, the report said. Criminals also utilize a "criminal service infrastructure" involving cryptocurrency and encrypted communications.
- The report identifies the Sulu-Celebes maritime "triangle" between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines as a major smuggling corridor for cocaine and wildlife. East Asian crime syndicates also use AI to facilitate child sexual abuse and trafficking.
- To combat this evolving criminal ecosystem, the UNODC said authorities need a coordinated, cross-border strategy integrating enforcement across financial, communications, and online service systems.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Scam losses in Asian regions up to $114 bn in 2025: UN
Victims of transnational online scams in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand lost up to $114.1 billion last year, a UN report said Tuesday, with estimated losses at least tripling from 2023.Southeast Asia, especially Cambodia and Myanmar, has emerged as a regional hub for crime synd
In a report, the United Nations notes that these activities continue despite the arrest of the leaders and evolve thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence.
Crime gangs snare up to $114 billion in scams in Asia-Pacific, UN says
Scam gangs defrauded Asia-Pacific residents of up to $114 billion in 2025, a UN office said, with transnational crime groups rapidly evolving tactics to stay ahead of law enforcement.
The crime centres are booming in the region, becoming the epicenter of a global crisis. A very lucrative industry for increasingly organized criminal groups.
Associated Press News
International criminal groups use technology to expand in and beyond Asia, UN report says
A U.N. report says Southeast Asia-based criminal groups are using increasingly integrated networks and technology to build a rapidly growing illicit economy with tentacles that reach far beyond Asia, costing victims more than $88 billion a year alone in frauds linked to online scams.
Organized crime networks in Asia turn online fraud into a business of over $100 billion a year. According to a UN Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, frauds with false investments in cryptocurrencies and romantics have generated record losses for victims in East Asia, South-East Asia, Australia and New Zealand last year.
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