finance
UNODC Estimates 2025 Southeast Asia Scam Losses at $88.3–114.1 Billion as Operations Shift to Smaller Sites
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released a report Tuesday detailing transnational organized crime in Southeast Asia. It estimates annual scam losses from regional criminal groups at $88.3 billion to $114.1 billion in 2025, with illicit drug sales reaching $109 billion.
Jul 21, 5:19 PM·1m read4 sources
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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released a report Tuesday estimating that scams operated by Southeast Asia-based criminal groups caused combined losses of $88.3 billion to $114.1 billion in 2025. The networks have extended beyond Southeast Asia while drawing in global actors involved in drug, human, and wildlife trafficking.
The report describes the use of artificial intelligence to generate phishing content, deepfake videos, and voice calls for sexual extortion and exploitation.
It notes a sharp rise in AI-generated child sexual images distributed through encrypted platforms. Hundreds of scam compounds across Southeast Asia also serve as sites for sex trafficking and the sale of child sexual abuse material, according to the findings.
Illicit drug sales in Southeast Asia and nearby countries reached an estimated $109 billion annually, with seizures of methamphetamine, heroin, and ketamine rising sharply.
The Sulu-Celebes maritime corridor between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines has become a key route for cocaine shipments from Latin America, sometimes concealed in legitimate cargo such as Chinese tea. Thailand and Vietnam have emerged as sources of cannabis exported to Japan and Europe.
Authorities in Malaysia’s Sabah seized more than 3 tons of methamphetamine, ketamine, and ecstasy earlier this year in the largest such operation recorded in the state.
Criminal groups have adapted to raids in Thailand, China, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia by relocating to villas and smaller properties, complicating enforcement efforts. The report calls for coordinated cross-border action across data, communications, financial systems, and online platforms to disrupt the supporting infrastructure that includes cryptocurrency and satellite communications.
Inshik Sim, the UNODC researcher who coordinated the report, highlighted the growing risks to children from both AI tools and online gambling during a briefing at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand.
