155/68 Monday, April 28, 2025
A recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) highlights the growing reach of transnational crime syndicates operating out of Southeast Asia, running large-scale online scam centers that have evolved into a massive “cybercrime industry.” These operations generate tens of billions of dollars annually through various forms of fraud, including investment scams (“Pig Butchering”), romance scams, and Phishing-as-a-Service offerings. The illicit proceeds are laundered through complex financial networks, often concealed within legitimate businesses such as casinos and hotels.
These groups are far more than isolated hacker collectives—they are global criminal enterprises. Victims of human trafficking are often forced to work in these scam centers, while the syndicates also traffic in malware, stolen data, and other cybercrime services. They are closely tied to illegal online gambling and cryptocurrency-based payment platforms. According to UNODC, cyber fraud in East and Southeast Asia caused an estimated $18 billion to $37 billion in damages in 2023 alone. Meanwhile, in the United States, Pig Butchering and related crypto fraud led to losses of around $10 billion.
One particularly alarming example is the group “Vault Viper,” based in a Philippine special economic zone. While openly operating casinos and hotels, the group is allegedly involved in a wide range of illegal activities, including human trafficking, money laundering, and cybercrime. They are believed to be linked to the larger “Vigorish Viper” and “Suncity” networks, which are accused of orchestrating extensive transnational cybercrime operations. UNODC warns that without decisive action to dismantle this cybercrime ecosystem, the consequences could be global, as these networks are continuously advancing their technologies, improving their cybercriminal capabilities, and expanding operations beyond Asia into Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Pacific Islands.
Source https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/industrial-scale-asian-scam-centers
