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

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

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