UN: Asian crime syndicates using AI and deepfakes in global scam operations
A UN Office on Drugs and Crime report warns that transnational crime syndicates from East and Southeast Asia are using AI and deepfake technologies to operate global fraud schemes, generating an estimated $40 billion annually and targeting victims across Africa, Latin America and other regions through romance scams, false investment pitches and illegal gambling operations.
What happened
Transnational organised crime groups in East and Southeast Asia are spreading scam operations globally using artificial intelligence and deepfake technologies, according to a UN Office on Drugs and Crime report issued in April 2025.
Scam centres have historically operated in border areas of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, as well as the Philippines, but are now being reported in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East and Pacific islands, using false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes to defraud victims.
Reported impact
UNODC estimates that hundreds of industrial-scale scam centres generate just under $40 billion in annual profits.
More than 250 people from 20 nations were reportedly rescued from alleged scam centres in Myanmar in February 2025.
Index analysis
The report notes that criminal groups are shifting to remote areas with lax law enforcement, reflecting both expansion of the scam industry and hedging against increased law enforcement disruptions in Southeast Asia.
Police raids in Africa, including in Nigeria, Zambia and Angola in late 2024 and early 2025, have resulted in arrests of people suspected of cryptocurrency and romance scams.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.