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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Crime & Justice

ASEAN Members Unite as Cyberscam Threat Escalates

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Southeast Asian governments are increasingly uniting to combat escalating cyberscam threats, moving beyond traditional police and border control responses.
  • This shift is evident in bilateral agreements, such as between Myanmar and Thailand, to crack down on scam centers and share information.
  • The growing scale of cyber scams, with estimated global losses between $88.3 billion and $114.1 billion in 2025, is now viewed as an economic security threat requiring a coordinated regional approach.

Governments across Southeast Asia are closing ranks to confront the escalating threat of cyberscam cartels, a problem they previously treated as a matter for individual police forces and anti-trafficking agencies. These bodies have evidently failed to curb the rise of international operations that increasingly exploit global banking systems, cryptocurrencies, and shell companies, with some centers operating under the protection of armed or politically connected groups.

Signs of this unified approach are emerging. Myanmar has approved the death penalty for cyberscam bosses, and a recent meeting between Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Myanmar's military leader Min Aung Hlaing resulted in an agreement to clamp down on scam centers along their shared border, exchange information, and disrupt criminal financial flows. Thailand also offered support for Myanmar's entry into the Egmont Group, an international network of financial intelligence bodies.

Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Arif Havas Oegroseno proposed a joint task force to combat online scam syndicates during a visit to Cambodia. Furthermore, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Thai Prime Minister Charnvirakul agreed in Jakarta that their nations must lead efforts to strengthen ASEAN's resilience against these groups. These developments signal a growing regional consensus that cyber scams have evolved beyond conventional cybercrime into a significant economic security threat.

The United Nations estimates that global losses from cyber scammers, many based in Southeast Asia, will range from $88.3 billion to $114.1 billion in 2025. The use of artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, encrypted communications, and deepfake technology has made these operations cheaper and harder to detect. The impact of this cybercrime is felt worldwide, with governments in Southeast Asia facing pressure from the U.S., EU, and China due to the international attention drawn by these cartels.

Cyber scams in Southeast Asia have evolved beyond a conventional cybercrime issue and should be viewed as an economic security threat.

— Hai LuongA lecturer at Griffith University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice commented on the evolving nature of cyber scams.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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