A UNODC report says victims of transnational online scams across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand lost an estimated $88.3 billion to $114.1 billion in 2025, up sharply from 2023. The report links the surge to organised crime networks using AI, cryptocurrencies and human trafficking despite intensified international crackdowns.
New Delhi, July 21, 2026: Victims of transnational online scams across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand lost an estimated $88.3 billion to $114.1 billion in 2025, according to a United Nations (UN) report released on Tuesday.
The losses are at least three times higher than the estimated $18 billion to $37 billion reported in 2023, reflecting "the dramatic scaling of this criminal economy".
The report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said Southeast Asia, particularly Cambodia and Myanmar, has become a major hub for organised crime syndicates operating fake romance and cryptocurrency investment scams.
These networks often use people who are either willing recruits or victims of human trafficking to defraud internet users worldwide from heavily fortified compounds, AFP reported.
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