East Asian Criminal Network: Scam losses exceed $114 billion, USDT becomes the primary tool
An analysis of the global criminal economy shows that the scale of scam operations in East and Southeast Asia, as well as in Australia and New Zealand, has reached alarming levels. Based on expert data, I estimate the total damage for 2025 at between $88.3 and $114.1 billion. This figure results from a thorough revision of the methodology, accounting for both officially recorded losses and hidden victims who, for various reasons, do not report to authorities.
To understand the dynamics: in 2023, the damage in the same subregions was estimated at $18–37 billion. Thus, over two years, the figure has roughly tripled, indicating a systemic transformation of the criminal infrastructure. Among the countries with the highest official losses in 2024–2025, China ($5.1 billion), the Republic of Korea ($3.5 billion), and Taiwan ($2.8 billion) lead.
Criminal "Franchising" and New Infrastructure
I see that disparate syndicates have turned into a cross-border network with shared infrastructure. This model, which can be compared to corporate franchising, combines money laundering, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and data collection. The scale and complexity of this criminal economy already outpace existing countermeasures, as confirmed by analysis from leading experts.
A key element is scam centers—isolated compounds where people are detained and forced to work in investment and romance scams. These structures operate as fraud factories, and their number continues to grow.
Cryptocurrencies as Settlement Infrastructure
I pay particular attention to the role of cryptocurrencies, especially USDT on the TRON network. This combination has created a parallel financial system for near-instant, cheap, and pseudonymous cross-border transfers. Through P2P platforms and over-the-counter brokers, criminal groups convert fiat into stablecoins and back, bypassing banking controls. This is not just a tool but a fundamental infrastructure that makes scam operations scalable.
Law enforcement urgently needs training in tracking and confiscating crypto assets. Simply disrupting operations is ineffective if the revenues of criminal networks remain out of reach.
AI and Satellite Communications: New Horizons for Fraudsters
Criminal groups are actively using generative AI, deepfakes, encrypted messengers, and satellite internet, including Starlink. These technologies lower the technical barrier for complex schemes: small groups can employ AI translation, voice cloning, and real-time deepfake video. Additionally, a 42% year-over-year increase in the use of legitimate advertising networks for malware distribution has been recorded.
The geography of recruitment is also expanding: people from at least 80 countries have been identified in scam compounds, and job ads require knowledge of German, Polish, Spanish, and other languages. Pressure on individual sites does not destroy the infrastructure—networks simply change jurisdictions and recover through new nodes.
My professional conclusion: We are witnessing not just a rise in scams but the creation of a global criminal ecosystem where cryptocurrencies, AI, and satellite communications have become standard tools. Without coordinated international efforts and the adoption of modern blockchain analytics methods, this threat will only grow.