Southeast Asian leaders, with US and Chinese counterparts, will renew alarm over online scams
Southeast Asian leaders, joined by the United States and China, will renew alarms over online scams at the East Asia Summit in Manila, emphasizing transnational criminal networks that have swindled billions and drawn workers into scam centers. The draft statement highlights the misuse of digital technologies and financial platforms, calling for stronger cybersecurity, financial system safeguards, and attention to the severe human costs, including coercion and trafficking. It notes recruitment and abuse in the Philippines, Cambodia, and other sites as centers expand through AI, malware, and other tools. Authorities will push for enhanced information sharing, threat assessments, and coordinated dismantling of scam operations, while addressing drivers like poverty and weak legal frameworks. The plan signals ongoing international cooperation with a focus on enforcement, governance, and reform, though real progress will hinge on effective cross-border collaboration.
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The event centers on a high-level gathering where ASEAN leaders align with counterparts from the United States and China to tackle online scam networks and other transnational crimes.
The draft statement flags that scam centers recruit and exploit workers, subjecting many to threats or torture if they resist orders, with operations reported in the Philippines and Cambodia.
A United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report cited indicates Southeast Asia-based gangs use integrated networks and technology to broaden their reach, with estimated losses ranging from $88.3 billion to $114.1 billion in 2025.
Criminals are leveraging new technologies, including AI, to launder money and to perpetrate sexual extortion and exploitation via both in-person and livestreamed abuse.
Policy responses proposed include sharing threat assessments, best practices, and strengthening cooperation among authorities to shut down scam centers while ensuring actions comply with international law and human rights standards.
Leaders highlight underlying drivers of online scams, such as poverty, insufficient social protection, outdated laws, governance gaps, and limited economic opportunities as part of the broader context.
The statement emphasizes a forward-looking impulse to coordinate across borders and with private and public sectors, aiming to reduce risks and improve resilience against digital and financial system exploitation.