Global Alert: Deepfakes, AI Fueling Fraud Surge

Scammers use sophisticated cyber-tools, AI, and impersonation to defraud victims worldwide of billions

Mar. 17, 2026 at 7:54am

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Scammers based in Southeast Asia have been defrauding victims globally of their savings using advanced techniques like deepfakes and AI-powered voice cloning. In 2024, the US alone reported $10 billion in losses to these scam operations. Governments, law enforcement, tech companies, and civil society have come together through initiatives like the Global Fraud Summit and the Global Partnership Against Online Scams to combat this growing threat, but the criminal infrastructure remains entrenched in the region.

Why it matters

The rise of deepfakes and other AI-powered fraud tools has enabled scammers to target victims worldwide, often highly educated individuals, and steal billions in savings. This organized crime ecosystem also facilitates money laundering, human trafficking, and other illicit activities, requiring a coordinated global response.

The details

Scammers use sophisticated cyber-tools, AI, and impersonation techniques to defraud victims globally. Recent raids in the Philippines and Cambodia reveal these operations are part of a larger criminal infrastructure generating billions in illicit flows through fraud, money laundering, and human trafficking. Authorities are struggling to keep up, often having just 36 hours to file charges before legal deadlines expire.

  • In 2024, the United States alone reported losses amounting to $10 billion to scam operations based in the region.
  • Last December in Bangkok, Thailand, representatives from nearly 60 countries gathered alongside tech giants Meta and TikTok to launch the Global Partnership Against Online Scams.
  • The Bangkok conference, hosted by the Government of Thailand and UNODC, followed by the Global Fraud Summit in Vienna, Austria, mark a diplomatic inflection point for international cooperation against scam centres.

The players

Kim Sawyer

A former university professor in Melbourne, Australia who was defrauded by a scammer.

UNODC

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which has brought together governments, law enforcement, private companies, and civil society to combat organized fraud.

INTERPOL

The international police organization that partnered with UNODC on the Global Fraud Summit.

PAOCC

The Philippines' Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission, which is working with UNODC to develop standard operating procedures for victim-centered responses to scam operations.

CCOS

The Commission for Combating Online Scams in Cambodia, a high-level coordinating body chaired by the Prime Minister to address the scam industry.

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What they’re saying

“The scammer was extraordinarily believable. He had a British accent, used all the right financial market terms and knew how to induce us by appearing credible every time.”

— Kim Sawyer, Former university professor

“We need to be looking into prosecuting high-level criminals, following the money through financial investigations and identifying the giant networks that operate behind these operations.”

— Delphine Schantz, UNODC's regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific

“How do you prove a cybercrime in 36 hours? It is not possible,”

— PAOCC operations director

“The scammer works twice: they take your money and they take your soul. They really do. They take your self-worth. And then, you feel like you're being scammed again, by authorities' lack of response,”

— Mr. Sawyer

What’s next

UNODC is helping countries in the region to address gaps in gathering, analyzing and sharing electronic evidence, reducing space for organized criminal groups to move and invest resources, and improving cooperation to stop the flow of people trafficked into scam centers.

The takeaway

The rise of sophisticated cyber-fraud tools like deepfakes and AI-powered voice cloning has enabled a global organized crime ecosystem based in Southeast Asia to defraud victims worldwide of billions. Combating this threat requires enhanced international cooperation, joint cross-border operations, coordinated prosecutions, and real-time intelligence sharing.