UNODC Report: AI-Powered Cyber Scam Networks Cost Asia-Pacific Up to $114 Billion in 2025
साउन ७, २०८३ १३:५९
Kathmandu. Cyber fraud cartels operating across the Asia-Pacific region scammed victims out of at least 88 billion US dollars (around Rs 13.56 trillion) in 2025, with losses estimated to reach as high as 114.1 billion dollars, according to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The report warns that Southeast Asia has become a global hub for cyber fraud, where criminal networks—many linked to Chinese-origin syndicates—are rapidly evolving their operations. These groups are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI), exploiting corruption, and diversifying their revenue streams to stay ahead of law enforcement agencies.
UNODC estimates that cyber scams caused losses ranging from 88.3 billion to 114.1 billion US dollars across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand in 2025. The agency noted that the financial damage exceeds the annual gross domestic product (GDP) of many countries in the region.
According to Delphine Schantz, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, criminal groups that once operated in limited locations or focused on specific illegal activities have evolved into highly interconnected transnational networks spanning multiple illicit markets.
She said these organizations now operate much like corporate franchises, with specialized teams handling money laundering, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, data theft, and other criminal services while remaining part of a broader service-based criminal ecosystem.
The report states that cyber scam centres across Southeast Asia continue to run large-scale online fraud schemes targeting victims worldwide, generating billions of dollars annually. Many of these operations rely on victims of human trafficking, who are held against their will and forced to carry out online scams under abusive and inhumane conditions.
UNODC said citizens from at least 80 countries and territories have been identified in cyber scam centers across Southeast Asia. Criminal groups use transit hubs in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa to recruit workers and operate cross-border trafficking and recruitment networks.
The report also highlights that these gangs are increasingly recruiting people from outside Asia as they expand into new markets. Job advertisements linked to cyber scam operations specifically target individuals fluent in languages including German, Polish, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, French, Swedish, Norwegian, and English.
Although intensified law enforcement efforts have disrupted operations in countries such as Myanmar and Laos, UNODC said the criminal networks have adapted by relocating to new bases in Timor-Leste, Pacific Island nations, and parts of Africa.
The report further warns that the expansion of parallel criminal services, including money laundering, underground banking, and illicit data trading, is accompanying the rapid growth of the cyber fraud industry.
According to UNODC Chief Analyst Inshik Sim, the scale and complexity of these organized criminal networks have outpaced existing enforcement and regulatory mechanisms. He said current systems are not adequately equipped to respond to increasingly complex, technology-driven cybercrime operations.
पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: साउन ७, २०८३ १४:२
