Online fraud syndicates siphoned between $88.3 billion and $114.1 billion from victims across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand in 2025, far exceeding previous estimates of $18 billion to $37 billion in 2023, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said.
China, South Korea and Taiwan each reported billions of dollars in losses, leading the region. The UNODC identified Southeast Asia as the epicentre of the fraud industry, dominated by Chinese criminal groups operating compounds that drew nationals from at least 80 countries and territories, including eight Arab states.
Facing crackdowns, syndicates have relocated operations from Myanmar and Cambodia to Timor-Leste, Pacific island nations, parts of Africa and the Balkans. In November 2025, Indian authorities dismantled a trafficking ring that had smuggled more than 500 people from 10 nations, including Egypt and Tunisia, into scam centres.