Southeast Asian scam networks cause victims losses of up to $114.1 billion in 2025

Odaily Odaily reported that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report stating that decentralized criminal syndicates in Southeast Asia have reorganized into a single, interconnected criminal economy, operating based on shared fraud and money laundering infrastructure.

The UNODC estimates that fraud crimes in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand caused losses of between $88.3 billion and $114.1 billion in 2025, with a significant portion stemming from crypto investment scams and romance scams run from industrial parks, with related proceeds laundered on-chain. The report states that personnel from at least 80 countries have been identified within scam compounds, and the scam networks are recruiting individuals with proficiency in European and North American languages through advertisements. The report also points out that malicious advertising has increased by 42% year-over-year in 2025, and satellite internet enables criminal activities to operate in remote areas. (Decrypt)