Scam Gangs and Transnational Crime in the Asia-Pacific

In 2025, scam gangs defrauded residents of the Asia-Pacific region of at least $88 billion, according to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). These criminal networks, primarily based in Southeast Asia, are rapidly evolving their tactics to stay ahead of law enforcement.

Key Findings of the Report

• The estimated scam losses across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand range between $88.3 billion and $114.1 billion.
• These figures surpass the GDP of several nations in the region.
• Networks are expanding across multiple illegal markets, operating like corporate franchises with specialized departments for various illicit activities.

Scam Operations in Southeast Asia

• Scam centers run illegal online schemes defrauding people globally, generating billions annually.
• Facilities are often staffed by trafficked foreign nationals working under oppressive conditions.
• At least 80 countries and territories have been linked to these scam compounds.

Recruitment and Expansion

• Recruitment efforts are targeting individuals with language skills in German, Polish, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, French, Swedish, Norwegian, and English.
• Law enforcement pressure has led to the relocation of operations, not their dismantlement.
• Gangs are engaging in "jurisdiction shopping" to find regions with weak governance and regulation.

Use of Technology and AI

• Criminal groups are expected to adopt agentic AI systems for more autonomous criminal activities, such as identifying victims and conducting social-engineering campaigns.
• The scam sector's growth has led to an ecosystem of ancillary criminal services, including money laundering and data trading.

Challenges in Addressing Organized Crime

The expanding organized crime economy is outpacing existing responses, which are not designed to handle such sophisticated criminal activities, according to Inshik Sim, a lead analyst at UNODC.