AS25 Livestream Thumbnail
Asia Summit 2025

Escaping Scam City: Untangling the Human and Economic Cost of Cybercrime

-

A sprawling web of cyberfraud is taking root worldwide, with Southeast Asia emerging as a global epicenter where high-tech scams intersect with human trafficking. In countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar, criminal syndicates run industrial-scale "pig-butchering" operations: scam centers staffed by trafficked workers forced to con victims in wealthier markets like Singapore and Hong Kong. These schemes, often disguised as crypto investments or online romance, are growing more sophisticated and harder to detect, exploiting digital wallets, social media, and regulatory blind spots to siphon billions in illicit funds. A UN estimate pegged global losses at $37 billion in 2023 alone, and the crisis is escalating globally. This session will unpack the cybercrime ecosystem, the forces fueling its rise, and the urgent need for coordinated international action. 

    Moderator

    MT

    Manisha Tank

    Presenter, CNN International

    Speakers

    Image

    Rafael Frankel

    Director of Public Policy, Meta
    Image

    David Koh

    Chief (Digital Security and Technology), Ministry of Digital Development and Information; Chief Executive, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore
    Image

    Shibani Mahtani

    International Investigative Correspondent, The Washington Post
    Image

    Jacob Sims

    Visiting Fellow, Harvard University