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BackAsia-Pacific scam losses reached US$114 billion in 2025, UN report reveals
Asia-Pacific scam losses reached US$114 billion in 2025, UN report reveals
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SCMP Economy1 hour agoCrime1 min readChina

Asia-Pacific scam losses reached US$114 billion in 2025, UN report reveals

Criminal enterprises tripled their illicit gains aided by AI and technology

scamsfinancial crimeunited nations

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Criminal enterprises stole up to US$114 billion from Asia-Pacific victims in 2025, tripling prior totals due to AI and technology, according to a UN report.

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Why It Matters

Criminal enterprises stole up to US$114 billion from victims across the Asia-Pacific in 2025.

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Criminal enterprises stole as much as US$114 billion from victims across the Asia-Pacific in 2025, according to a United Nations report released in July, more than triple the amount from two years earlier, aided by AI and other technology.

The scourge of scams and financial crime could become worse with the adoption of agentic AI, which experts say could allow criminals to automate and scale their operations with unprecedented speed.

As such, regulators and institutions in the region need to prepare for a worst-case scenario and establish effective mechanisms to safely share data across borders, allowing them to identify and disrupt scam operations before they spread and do damage.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

  • Financial crime could worsen with the adoption of agentic AI.

    Likely · Within months

Open Questions

  • What specific mechanisms will regulators establish to share data?

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scams
OrganizationsUnited Nations
PlacesAsia-Pacific
Topicsfinancial crimeunited nationsasia-pacificartificial intelligenceagentic ai
This article was originally published by SCMP Economy.

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