However, these figures seem insignificant compared to those cited by scammers in Asia.
In 2025, losses from scam operations in East and Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand totaled $88.3–114.1 billion. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) cited these estimates in a report published on Thursday.
The authors emphasized that this is an approximate estimate. The methodology takes into account officially reported losses and the estimated proportion of victims who do not report the crimes to the authorities. Data from different countries may vary depending on how scam schemes are classified.
By way of comparison: in 2023, losses from scams in East and Southeast Asia were estimated at $18–37 billion. According to UNODC, the figure for 2025 for these same subregions was approximately three times higher.
Among the countries and territories with the highest officially reported losses for 2024–2025, experts identified China ($5.1 billion), the Republic of Korea ($3.5 billion), and Taiwan ($2.8 billion).
Criminal groups have consolidated their infrastructure
The UNODC described this development as a restructuring of the regional criminal economy. According to the agency’s assessment, disparate syndicates have evolved into a cross-border network with a shared infrastructure for fraud, money laundering, human trafficking, the smuggling of migrants, data collection, and criminal services.
UNODC Senior Analyst Inshik Sim stated that the scale and complexity of this criminal economy “outpace existing countermeasures.”
A significant portion of these operations is linked to scam centers. These are large, isolated complexes where people are held captive and forced to work in online fraud schemes, including investment and romance scams.
(In the case of Moldova, most of these scam centers or call centers are located in Ukraine and target not only our country but also Romania and other European nations.)
Cryptocurrencies were identified as a payment infrastructure
The report specifically highlights the role of cryptocurrencies in financial transactions and money laundering. According to the UNODC, criminal groups systematically use digital assets, encrypted communications, AI, satellite communications, and underground data markets to mitigate risks and expand their operations.
The agency specifically points to USDT on the TRON network. According to the authors’ assessment, this combination has created a parallel financial system for nearly instantaneous, low-cost, and pseudonymous cross-border transfers. Through P2P platforms, over-the-counter brokers, and underground banking networks, criminal groups convert fiat currency into stablecoins and back. Such services help circumvent banking controls and move funds across jurisdictions.
UNODC has called for training law enforcement officers to track and confiscate crypto assets. Simply disrupting operations is not enough if the proceeds of criminal networks remain out of reach.
AI and satellite communications have empowered scam networks
UNODC noted that criminal groups actively use generative AI, deepfakes, encrypted messaging apps, satellite communications, and data markets. These tools help them scale their attacks, bypass checks, and operate in remote areas.
Generative artificial intelligence lowers the technical barrier for sophisticated fraud schemes. The report states that even small groups can use AI translation, character generation, phishing texts, voice cloning, and real-time deepfake videos.
UNODC also noted a 42% year-over-year increase in the use of legitimate advertising networks to distribute malware or phishing pages by 2025.
The agency also specifically mentioned satellite internet, including Starlink. According to UNODC, this is a legal infrastructure that allows cybercriminals to be less dependent on local telecom operators and to operate in hard-to-reach areas.
Recruiters Are Targeting People Outside Asia
People from at least 80 countries and territories have been identified in the region’s scam compounds. Recruitment networks use transit hubs in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
UNODC noted that operators are expanding their search for employees and victims beyond the region. Job postings presumably linked to scam centers included requirements for proficiency in German, Polish, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, French, Swedish, Norwegian, and English.
The report specifically states that such advertisements should not be considered confirmed cases of human trafficking. They indicate an expansion of the geographic scope of recruitment and the risk that new workers may be drawn into forced criminal activity.
UNODC also notes that cracking down on individual platforms does not dismantle the infrastructure. Networks shift jurisdictions, fragment their operations, and resume their activities through new hubs.
