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UN report says online scam losses in Asia-Pacific hit $114.1 billion
Losses from investment fraud and other transnational scams in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand rose sharply, more than tripling from 2023.
Victims of transnational online scams across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand lost up to US$114.1 billion last year, according to a UN report cited by SCMP Economy.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimate put losses from online scams, largely investment-related fraud, at US$88.3 billion to US$114.1 billion in 2025, far above the UNODC’s prior estimate of US$18 billion to US$37 billion for 2023.
Southeast Asia, particularly Cambodia and Myanmar, has emerged as a hub for crime syndicates running fake romance and cryptocurrency investment schemes, the report said, with some victims willing and others trafficked.
The report attributed the increase to what it described as the “dramatic scaling” of the criminal economy, and said regional authorities are intensifying crackdowns under pressure from countries including the United States, Britain and China.