United Nations says Chinese-origin cybercrime stole $88 billion across Asia-Pacific
Cybercrime groups scammed people across Asia-Pacific out of a massive $88 billion last year, according to the United Nations.
These networks (mostly run by Chinese-origin groups in Southeast Asia) used AI and corruption to pull off everything from online scams to money laundering, getting more sophisticated and harder to catch.
Scam centers force trafficked workers
The losses are so huge they actually top the GDP of some countries in the region.
The report reveals that many scam centers force trafficked workers into brutal conditions, targeting victims worldwide.
As law enforcement cracks down in places like Myanmar and Laos, these operations are shifting to spots with weaker oversight, including parts of Africa.
With criminals now using generative AI for content creation and expected to adopt agentic AI for crypto thefts, experts say there is an urgent need for global teamwork and better tech solutions to fight back.