The UN has recorded record losses from scam networks: cryptocurrencies have become the financial backbone of crime.
The scale of organized fraud in the Asia-Pacific region has reached alarming proportions. Based on my estimates, derived from data from specialized agencies, the total damage from scam operations in East and Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand for 2025 ranged from $88.3 to $114.1 billion. These are not just numbers — they are an indicator of how the criminal economy has transformed into a highly organized transnational industry.
For context: in 2023, losses in the same subregions were estimated at $18–37 billion. A roughly threefold increase in two years is not a coincidence, but the result of a systemic restructuring of criminal groups. This is not about isolated hackers, but about entire syndicates that have consolidated infrastructure for fraud, money laundering, human trafficking, and illegal migrant smuggling. The model essentially resembles corporate franchising: there is a common service network to which "specialized departments" for different types of crime connect.
China ($5.1 billion), the Republic of Korea ($3.5 billion), and Taiwan ($2.8 billion) are the top three countries with the highest officially recorded losses for 2024–2025. But the real figures, I believe, are significantly higher, as many victims simply do not report to the authorities.
Cryptocurrencies: The New Financial System of Criminals
The report pays special attention to the role of digital assets. USDT on the TRON blockchain has effectively created a parallel financial infrastructure for nearly instantaneous, cheap, and pseudonymous cross-border transfers. Through P2P platforms, over-the-counter brokers, and underground banking networks, criminal groups convert fiat into stablecoins and back, bypassing bank controls. This is not just a tool — it is the settlement basis of the entire criminal economy in the region.
Moreover, criminals are actively adopting technology. Generative AI, deepfakes, encrypted messengers, and even satellite internet (including Starlink) are used to scale attacks, bypass verification, and operate in remote areas. The use of legitimate advertising networks to distribute malware or phishing increased by 42% year-over-year in 2025.
Recruitment Extends Beyond Asia
The geography of recruitment is also expanding. People from 80 countries have been identified in the region's scam compounds, and language requirements (German, Polish, Spanish, French, Swedish, and others) indicate that operators are targeting victims from Europe and other regions. This is an alarming signal: we are seeing Asian fraud networks become a global threat.
My comment as an analyst: The most dangerous aspect of this situation is the adaptability and resilience of the infrastructure. As practice shows, applying force to individual platforms does not destroy the network — it simply changes jurisdictions and recovers. Without training law enforcement in tracking and confiscating crypto assets, and without international coordination, we risk witnessing further growth of this criminal sector. Simply disrupting operations is not enough — we need to hit their finances.