UN says Asia-Pacific scam gangs stole more than $88bn in 2025
A UN report says organised scam networks stole at least $88.3 billion across the Asia-Pacific in 2025. The agency said syndicates are shifting locations, exploiting corruption and increasingly using AI to expand their operations.
BANGKOK: Criminal scam networks defrauded people across the Asia-Pacific region of at least $88 billion in 2025, according to a new report released on Tuesday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which said transnational organised crime groups are quickly adapting their methods to stay ahead of enforcement efforts.
The UNODC said losses from scams across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand were estimated at between $88.3 billion and $114.1 billion in 2025. It described Southeast Asia as a major centre for cyber fraud driven largely by syndicates of mainly Chinese origin, adding that these groups are expanding income sources, taking advantage of corruption and making growing use of artificial intelligence.
Networks that had once been tied to particular territories or specific illicit trades are now increasingly spreading across several illegal markets while relying on shared criminal services. Delphine Schantz, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said the structure of these groups resembles a franchise model.
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