AI-Powered Scams Surge Across Asia as Interpol Warns of Industrialised Cybercrime
Source: CNA
Interpol's cybercrime director has warned that artificial intelligence is fuelling an industrial-scale wave of scams across Asia, with deepfake discussions on criminal forums surging 600 per cent and phishing rates in the region running at twice the global average.
Interpol's cybercrime director has warned that artificial intelligence is fuelling an industrial-scale wave of scams across Asia, with deepfake discussions on criminal forums surging 600 per cent and phishing rates in the region running at twice the global average. The new threat assessment, based on data from 18 member countries, paints a stark picture of how generative AI is lowering the barrier for would-be criminals while dramatically scaling existing fraud operations.
Neal Jetton, Interpol's Cybercrime Director, described the current landscape as the "industrialisation of cybercrime," where AI amplifies existing threats rather than creating entirely new ones. Phishing emails are now generated with convincing personalised language, deepfakes impersonate executives and public officials, and infostealer malware campaigns are on the rise — all powered by tools that require little to no technical expertise. In 2024 alone, over 6.5 billion cyberthreats were detected and blocked across the region, with more than 135,000 ransomware attacks targeting manufacturing, real estate, and financial services.
Singapore, as a major financial hub and one of Asia's most digitised economies, sits squarely in the crosshairs. The city-state has invested heavily in anti-scam infrastructure — including the ScamShield app and the anti-scam command centre — but the speed at which AI-enabled attacks evolve presents an ongoing challenge. Across the region, transnational organised crime groups in Southeast Asia generate close to US$40 billion annually through romance scams, fake investment platforms, and illegal online gambling, often run from industrial-scale scam compounds in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and the Philippines.
Why it matters for Singapore: The scale and sophistication of AI-powered scams represent a direct threat to Singapore's digital economy ambitions and its reputation as a trusted financial centre. With more than 5.5 out of every 1,000 individuals in the region clicking on phishing links each month — double the global average — the need for coordinated public awareness, cross-border enforcement, and private-sector vigilance has never been more urgent. Jetton's call for a whole-of-society approach mirrors Singapore's own strategy, but the warning underscores that no single country can solve this alone.