Svmuu News: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report stating that fragmented criminal groups in Southeast Asia have reorganized into a single, interconnected criminal economy and operate based on a shared infrastructure for fraud and money laundering.
UNODC estimates that fraud-related losses in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand will range from $88.3 billion to $114.1 billion in 2025, with a significant portion stemming from crypto investment scams and romance scams operated from industrial parks, where the proceeds are laundered on-chain. The report states that individuals from at least 80 countries have been identified within these fraud hubs, and fraud networks are recruiting people with European and North American language skills through advertisements. The report also notes that malicious ads increased by 42% year-over-year in 2025, and that satellite internet enables criminal activities to operate in remote areas. (Decrypt)