Cybercrime syndicates are expanding beyond Southeast Asia, the United Nations warns of global threats

The United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that cybercrime syndicates operating in Southeast Asia have become a global network. These criminal groups were born in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

Over the past decade, they have expanded their activities to include Africa, South America and even South Asia. Despite the massive repression of Southeast Asia’s law enforcement agencies, they have become resilient, highly adaptable, and have shifted to areas with poor governance and high corruption.

The UNODC report, published on April 21, highlights that these criminal operations are currently operating on a multinational scale, with hundreds of large-scale fraud operations generating billions of profits each year. These scams are increasingly integrated with online platforms that promote money laundering and connect illegal actors globally. “The distribution of these networks into areas where monitoring is weak, enabling them to grow,” said a UNODC representative.

Adapt and expand criminal operations

Southeast Asian authorities have tried to fight these syndicates by storming fraudulent compounds along the land’s borders and reducing power sources to criminal centres. However, their efforts were useless, leading many businesses to move even in areas that are inaccessible to more remote locations.

Some networks use satellite internet providers such as StarLink to maintain operation in areas where traditional Internet services are limited or inaccessible. These cybercriminals have also reached across Southeast Asia.

According to UNODC, Crime Syndicate is currently alliances with other global criminal networks, such as South American crime cartels, as well as the Italian mafia. Money laundering and underground banking emerge as the main focus of these partnerships, further strengthening the global expansion of cyber fraud businesses.

As a result, criminals target a more diverse range of victims, including individuals from over 50 countries, particularly in countries with high corruption and weak law enforcement.

The global impact of cyber fraud and the need for urgent action

These sophisticated cybercrime networks can destroy global security and the economy. The increased use of cryptocurrency and online platforms to facilitate these scams means that the industry can easily scale, reaching millions of potential victims without the need for physical goods or borders.

In 2023, the US lost more than $5.6 billion in cryptocurrency fraud, including romance and pig attack scams. Without coordinated international efforts to disrupt these operations, the scale of cyber fraud will continue to rise with “unprecedented outcomes” especially in affected regions in Southeast Asia, UNODC said.