UN warns of global spread of billion-dollar cyberscam industry

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has raised alarms over the rapid expansion of the billion-dollar cyberscam industry, likening its spread to a “cancer” that is moving beyond Southeast Asia into South America, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Despite intensified crackdowns in countries like Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia, criminal syndicates have adapted, shifting operations to regions with weak governance and high corruption, according to a new UN report.
Originally concentrated in Southeast Asia, cyberscam networks have evolved into highly mobile operations, relocating to remote and underregulated areas to evade law enforcement. The UNODC estimates that hundreds of large-scale scam farms generate tens of billions of dollars annually, exploiting trafficked workers to target victims worldwide.
The United States alone reported over $5.6 billion in losses to cryptocurrency scams in 2023, with romance scams and pig-butchering schemes accounting for more than $4 million in fraud targeting elderly and vulnerable individuals.
Despite efforts by China, Thailand, and Myanmar to dismantle scam compounds, syndicates have relocated to Laos, Cambodia, and beyond, taking advantage of jurisdictions with weak enforcement. The UNODC warns that failure to address this issue could entrench a borderless criminal industry, undermining financial systems and exploiting vulnerable populations for years to come.
The UN urges international cooperation to disrupt the financing of these criminal networks and prevent further expansion. Without coordinated efforts, the cyberscam industry may continue to outpace other transnational crimes, reaching millions of victims worldwide.