ASEANConsumerScamReport2025:VictimsRising,DefencesUnderStrain

2

TheGSMAisaglobalorganisationunifyingthe

mobileecosystemtodiscover,developanddeliverinnovationfoundationaltopositivebusiness

environmentsandsocietalchange.Ourvisionistounlockthefullpowerofconnectivitysothatpeople,industryandsocietythrive.Representingmobile

operatorsandorganisationsacrossthemobile

ecosystemandadjacentindustries,theGSMA

deliversforitsmembersacrossthreebroadpillars:

ConnectivityforGood,IndustryServicesand

SolutionsandOutreach.Thisactivityincludes

advancingpolicy,tacklingtoday’sbiggestsocietalchallenges,underpinningthetechnologyand

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providingtheworld’slargestplatformtoconvene

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FollowtheGSMAonX:@GSMA

Authors

LeslieFalvey&TysonHackwoodarethe

FoundersofArmidaleandfoundingmembersof

CROSEC.Togethertheybringboard-level

experienceacrosstelecoms,technology,paymentsandretail,withdeepspecialisationinfraud

prevention,growth,andstrategyexecution.Theytranslateresearchintopracticalplaybooksthatcutlosses,improverecovery,andbuildtrust.

Acknowledgements

WethankJulianGorman,HeadofAsiaPacificat

GSMA,forhisinputandguidanceforthisreport,

andtheGSMAAPACteamfortheirsupportin

outreachandplatformvisibility.Wearealsogratefultothesurveypartners,MilieuInsightand

respondentsacrossASEAN,whoseparticipationmadetheseinsightspossible.

Datasources:ThisreportdrawsonArmidale’s2024

and2025consumerfraudsurveys(n≈500per

market;VNbaselineaddedin2025)andassociatedqualitativeinsightsgatheredduringanalysisand

industryconsultations.

Contacttheauthors:

contact@armidale.c

GSMAASEANConsumerScamsReport2025:VictimsRising,DefencesUnderStrain

ExecutiveSummary

ScamsarerisingacrossASEAN,andtheyaregettingclosertopeople’severydaychannels.Theequal-weightedshareofconsumerswhosaytheyhaveeverbeenscammedclimbed

from31%to45%.Involvementisoverwhelminglymobileandmulti-channel:victimsmost

oftenciteOTTmessaging,voicecalls,andsocialplatforms,withSMSandemailstillpresent.Themixdiffersbycountry(forexample,social/SMSaremoreprominentinthePhilippines;voice/OTTinThailand,Singapore,Indonesia),whichmeanscountermeasuresmustbe

tailoredtowherescamsactuallyland.

Theharmisreal,andpeoplearereportingit.In2025,68%ofvictimssaidtheylostmoney,with11%ofpeoplesayingtheylostalargesumofmoney,and~76%reportedtheincidentsomewhere.Reportingissplitacrossbanks/fintechs,police,andplatforms,sonosingle

institutionseesthefullcase,slowingrecoveryandweakeningdeterrence.

Privacyconcernsremainnear-universalat~97%,anddemandsforbroaddisclosureshaveincreased(thesharesayingitisimportantthatcompaniesdisclosewhattheysharemoved95%to98%).Thesignalfromconsumersisconsistent:keepdatausetight,transparentandtiedtospecificoutcomes.

Acceptanceofprotectivemobile-networksignalsisstrong.72%arecomfortablewithlimited,purpose-boundchecksandsupportrisesfurtherfromthiswhensharingisexception-based;thiscreatesapracticalpathforGSMAOpenGateway–styleAPIs(e.g.,SIM-swap,numberverification,devicestatus,coarselocationconfidence)tohardenloginsandpaymentswhileminimisingdatapointuse.Incontrast,comfortwithconversational-appdatasharinghas

droppedfrom53%to40%,mirroringconcernsaboutimpersonationandphishingonthoseplatforms.

Consumerswillrewardbetterprotection.81%saytheywouldswitchfinancialprovidersfor

strongersecurity,favouringproductsthatbringverificationtothefront,confirmation-of-payee,

saferpaymentinstruments,andsimple“officialcall-backonly”habits.

Thewayforwardisclear:prioritisethehotroutes(voice/OTTfirst;strengthensocialandSMSwhereelevated),makesafebehavioursthedefault,usetargeted,transparent,authorised

datasharingtoverifytransactions,andclosethereportingloopsoeveryreportturnsintofast,visibleremediation.

ConsumerExperience&AttitudesTowardScams

Overviewofconsumerexperiences

AcrossASEAN,45%ofpeoplereportedhavingbeenthevictimofascamvs.31%lastyear,withthosereportingbeingavictimofascamwithinthelastyearincreasingfrom6%in2024to8%in2025,showingacceleratinggrowth.Largeincreasesinscamsthisyearwereseen,particularlyinthePhilippinesandThailand,withmoremoderateincreasesinIndonesiaandMalaysia.

Theimplicationisstraightforward:riskfactorsarerisingrapidly,whereasenforcementand

controlsarepatchyandfalling.Fororganisationsholdingcustomerdataormoney,this

justifiescontinuedinvestmentinthreatintelligence,call-backhygiene,andconsumernudgesthatbluntsocialengineeringattacksbeforeidentitytheftordataexfiltrationoccurs.

Exhibit1:Lifetimescamvictimisation-Thesizeoftheimpact

AcrossASEAN,scammersuseabroadmixofpsychologicaltriggersratherthanasingle

script.Fearoflossandurgencytendtoappearmostoften,withauthority/impersonationclosebehind,whilereciprocity,socialproof,relationship,confidentiality,andscarcityareallpresentatmeaningfulbutlowerlevels.CountrypatternsarerelativelyconsistentwiththeexceptionofThailand,whichshowsamorepronouncedtilttowardurgencyandauthoritythanmost

markets.

Exhibit2:ScamTriggers-Howscammersareinfluencingtheirvictims

Thissharpincreaseinscamactivityisalsoincreasinganxietyacrossthepopulation,and

thosereportingbeingworriedarenownear-universalacrossASEAN:96%saytheyare

concerned(Top2),uproughly10ppfrom2024.Theshiftisnotjustmorepeopleworried,thesharesayingtheyareveryworriedjumpedsharplyineverymarket(i.e.,TH28%-67%,SG

23%-50%,MY34%-64%,ID43%-63%,PH26%-75%;VN,measuredforthefirsttime,alsohasasimilarresultat69%).Thisstep-upfromworriedtoveryworriedsignalsthatscamsandaccounttakeovershavemovedfrombackgroundconcerntoatop-of-mindconsumer

protectionissue,reinforcingtheneedforquickanddecisiveactiontobetaken.

Exhibit3:Concernaboutscams&hacks-Theongoinganxiety

Whensplitbygender,thesituationbecomesevenmoreextreme,withwomenexpressinggreaterintensityofworryaboutscamsthanmen.68%ofwomensaytheyare“very

concerned,”comparedwith61%ofmen.Thisshouldleavenodoubtaboutthesignificancethatthistopichastakenwithinthepopulationandthatcommunicationandeducationshouldbenuancedbythetargetaudience.

Exhibit4:Gendercomparison-Worryisintenseforall,andhigheramongwomen

Consumersseeeveryoneplayingarole,butsomearejudgedmoreeffectivethanothers.

Banks/fintechslead(~62%),followedbyhardware/softwareproviders(~57%)andmerchants(~50%);ISPs/MNOstrailslightly(~48%),andgovernmentssitlowest(~40%).Thissuggestsaneedtoraisevisibilityofprotectionsandspeedofenforcement.

Exhibit5:Perceptionsofperformance-Whoisdemonstratingtheirsuccess?

Keyfraudconcernsandchannels

VictimsmostoftendescribevoicecallsandOTTmessaging(e.g.,WhatsApp)ascontactpoints,withsocialplatformsalsomaterial,particularlywheremarketplacescamsand

impersonationoccur.SMSremainsameaningfultriggerinsomemarkets,andemailistheleastcommonroute.Thismulti-channelattacksurfacereflectstheblendingofphishing

attacks,fake“support”calls,andtargetedsocialengineering.

Defencesmustbechannel-specific,callerdisplayandscreeningforvoice,sender-IDand

contentcontrolsforSMS,rapidplatformescalationforsuspiciousbehaviouronsocialmedia,andtighterapp-to-personguardrailsinOTT.

AnemergingvectorisfakeQRcodes,oftencalled“quishing”(QR-codephishing).Inour

2025data,QRroutesshowupin~10%ofscamcontactsacrossASEAN(higherinVN13%andMY11%).

Dating/romancesitesandappsaccountfor~7%(notablySG12%,TH10%)butarguably

impactpeoplethemostpost-scamastheyleveragepeople’semotionalconnection.

“Iwasscammedintoarelationship-app-relatedinvestment.Lostalargesumof

moneythroughthatscam,andIamstillpayingforloansthatItookout.”

Thesechannelsareasmallbutsignificantsharetodayandarecheaptoscale,sotheycouldgrowquicklyifleftunchecked.SaferQRjourneys(dynamiccodes,trusted-domainpreviews,post-scanwarnings)areeffectivetechnology-enabledsolutions,andtighterverificationandAI-enabledcontentmoderationondatingplatformswouldbluntromance-stylesocial

engineering.

Exhibit6:Scamchannelsofattack-Howarescammersreachingconsumers?

Asmallbutvisibleshareofrespondentssaythey’vebeenpersonallytargetedbyAI-enabledscams(around5–6%)attheASEANlevel.Thisisself-reportedandattributionisdifficult

(victimsrarelyknowwhetheraconvincingvoice,image,orchatwasAI-generated),soresultsshouldbereadasdirectionalratherthandefinitive.

Evenso,thesignalisstatisticallymeasurableonoursamplesizesandmeritsongoing

monitoringanddeeperstudy,especiallyforvoicecloning,deepfakecustomer-servicechats,andreal-timeOTP-relayattacks.

Exhibit7:AIscams-Thestartofanewconcerningtrend

Perceptionsoftrustworthiness,responsibility,andswitching

Whenaskedwhoshouldtakeprimaryresponsibilityforprotectingpeoplefromscamsandfinancialcrime,respondentsplacegovernment/regulators,banks&e-wallets,andpolice/lawenforcementatthetop,followedbyplatformsandtelecommunicationcompanies.

Exhibit8:Primaryresponsibility-Whoshouldbeaccountable?

Theimplicationisastrongmandateformulti-stakeholderaction:coordinatedpolicy,technicalstandards,andsharedplaybooks.

Willingnesstoswitchfinancialprovidersforbettersecurityrosefrom78%(2024)to81%

(2025),acleargrowthsignalthatbanksandfintechscancapturebybringingsecuritytothefrontoftheproduct.Thewinningmovesare:

●DigitalIdentitychecksathigh-riskmoments(passkeys,devicebinding,andauthorised,minimal-datasignalssuchasSIM-change/number-verification),

●Transactionverificationthatshowsthepayee’snamebeforeyousend(Confirmation-of-Payee-stylechecks)

●Saferpaymentinstruments,suchasvirtual/one-usecardnumbersforonlinepayments.

Exhibit9:Switchingfinancialprovidersforenhancedsecurity

ComfortwithMNOssharinglimited,purpose-boundsignalsforfrauddetectionstayshigh,

andconsumerstellustheysupportthiswhenitistargeted,transparent,andauthorised.Thepracticalroleforoperatorsistoexposesimpleyes/noDigitalIdentitysignals,forexample,numberverification,recentSIM-changeflags,devicestatus,coarselocationconfidence,orcall-forwardingstateatspecifichigh-riskmoments(new-devicelogin,passwordreset,largetransfer,QRpayment).

Usedonlytoverifytransactions,thesecheckshelpbanksandfintechsstopaccounttakeoverroutessuchasSIM-swapandOTPdiversion,whilealsoreducingfalsepositivesand

unnecessaryfriction.Critically,thedatastaysminimal(nomessagecontent,noprofiling),withclearconsent,shortretention,andauditability.Withplain-languagecustomermessaging,thisimprovesfrauddetectionandapprovalrateswithoutcompromisingprivacy.

Exhibit10:WillingnesstoallowMNOstosharedata

FacebookstandsoutastheplatformmostcommonlylinkedtoscamsinASEAN,with61%ofoverallresponsesandabove50%ineverymarket(PH70%,TH67%,VN64%,SG58%,MY57%,ID53%),indicatingaclearproblem,whetherperceptionorlivedexperience.

Conversationalappscarrynotableperceivedrisk,buttheappdiffersbymarket:Telegramisfrequentlycitedforanonymity-drivenscams;Thailandistheexception,whereLINE(41%)ismostassociated;WhatsAppismoreprominentinSG(49%),MY(47%)andID(44%).VNreportsonlyTelegram,likelyduetothepopularityofZalo,which,asaplatform,wasnot

includedinthequestion.

Exhibit11:Platformassociationwithscams

Thisillustratesanurgentneedforplatform-specificmitigation.Tighteningofpage/account

andmarketplaceverification,ad-buyerKYC,fasttakedownandAImonitoringonFacebook.Messagingapps,andinparticularanonymousoneslikeTelegram,havesignificantissuesastheycannotpolicecontentbutshouldmakeeffortstoutiliseDigitalID(verifiedaccounts/

device-binding),addverified-senderlabels,requiretransaction-timeverificationonriskyflows,andapplyhigh-frictionlinksharingwithrapidtakedown,partneringwithbanksandtelcosviaauthorised,minimal-datasignalstocutoffscamjourneys.

RegularbuyingonFacebookisnowroutineforasizeableshareofconsumers,roughly1in5acrossASEAN,withVietnamandThailandthestand-outsforweekly/monthlypurchase

frequency,yetFacebookisalsotheleast-trustedplatforminourstudy,withthehighestperceivedassociationwithscams(61%ASEAN;upto70%inPH).Thistrust–usegapmattersaspeoplecontinuetoshopwheretheyfeelmostatrisk,increasingexposuretoimpersonation,counterfeitgoods,andpaymentfraud.Thetrust–usegapiswidening,increasingexposureunlesssellerverificationandtakedownspeedimprove.

Victimimpact,reportingandrecovery

Harmismaterial:amongvictimsin2025,68%reportedlosingmoney,with30%describingtheamountas“moderate”and11%reportinglosinga“l(fā)argeamount”.Combinedwiththepreviouslymentioned8%experiencingthescamwithinthelastyear,thisisameaningfulimpacttohouseholdfinancesacrosstheregion.

Exhibit12:Financialimpactofscams

Apartfromthemonetaryloss,manyalsoreportsecond-orderharms,time/efforttoresolve(~45%),emotionaldistress(~45%),andongoinganxiety(~45%).Thisisnolongera

nuisanceproblem;itisaconsumer-protectionandliabilityissuethaterodestrustifreportingand/orrecoveryfeelsopaqueandslow.

Exhibit13:Otherimpactsofscams-Beyondjustthefinancial

In2025reportingiscommonbutfragmented.Aboutthreeinfourvictims(76%)report

somewhere,butroutessplitacrossbanks/e-wallets(~36%),police(~34%),andtheplatformwherethescamoccurred(~33%).

Exhibit14:Scamreporting-Wheredopeoplegowhentheyarescammed?

Nosingleinstitutionseesthefullpicture,socasesfallthroughthecrackswithoutcoordinatedhandoffs,however,thiscreatesclearopportunitiesforimprovement.

●Makereporting“nowrongdoor.”Anyentrypoint(bank,platform,police,telco)shouldcaptureaminimal,standardcaserecord,generateasinglecaseID,androute

ownershiptotherightlead.

●DefineandpublishrecoverySLAs.Committotime-to-first-response,time-to-update,andtime-to-closuretargets.Freeze/recallfundswhenpossible,fileSAR/AMLreportsasrequired,andkeepvictimsinformedthroughtoremediation.

●Reducestressandtimecosts.Provideastatustracker,securedocumentupload,clear“whathappensnext”guidance,andnamedcontacts.Thesedirectlyaddressthe~45%whociteprocesspain.

●Shareauthorisedsignalstospeedtriage.UseDigitalIdentitychecksandminimal,

purpose-boundsignals(e.g.,number-verification,recentSIM-change)atpaymenttimetoconfirmattributionandprioritiserecovery(withoutbroaddatasharing).

●Measureoutcomes,notactivity.Trackandreport:%victimsreimbursed/funds

recovered,time-to-first-response,time-to-customer-update,time-to-closure,and%non-reporting;settargetstocutthatnon-reportinggapfurther.

Thebottomlineisthathighfinanciallossprevalencepluswidespreadreportingcreatesarealchancetoreduceharmnow,ifinstitutionscoordinatehandoffs,makerecoverytimelines

transparent,andturneveryreportintoafast,auditableincidentresponse.

Privacy,transparencyandtrust

Alongsidescamconcernsandanxiety,concernaboutprivacyremainsnear-universal(96%in2024to97%in2025),whilethesharestatingthatcompaniesdisclosewhatdatatheysharewithothershasalsoremainedatextremelyhighlevels(95%in2024to98%in2025).

Thisreinforcesthatalthoughconsumersarehighlyconcernedaboutscams,theyalso

recognisethattheprivateinformationthatcompanieshavecanbeleakedandusedagainstthem.Thismeansthatdatasharingmustbedoneverycautiouslywithclear,purpose-limiteddisclosure,shortretention,andeasyopt-out,withoutthesecompaniesinvitingregulatory

scrutinyandreputationaldamage.

Exhibit15:Concernforprivacy-Datasharingisadouble-edgedsword

Exhibit16:Datadisclosure-Whenyoudosharedata

Comfortwithprotectivesignal-sharingremainsstrong,anditgetsstrongerwhenit’s

purpose-limited.AcrossASEAN,aboutseveninten(72%)arecomfortablewithproviders

usingminimalsignalsattransactiontimetostopfraud;thatclimbsto78%whensharingis

doneonlyonsuspicioustransactions(+6pp).Thepatternisbroad-basedacrossallcountries,providingasignificantandlargelyuntappedopportunityforcompaniestoutiliseexternal

industrydatasignalsinthereductionoffraudwhilebeingmindfulofprivacy,datasharinganddisclosure.

Exhibit17:Datasharing-Sharingwithapurpose

Giventhatmanyscamsareoccurringacrossmessagingapps,weseeconsumersdecliningcomfortwithsharingpersonaldetailsacrosstheseplatforms.Despitethedeclinestill40%ofpeoplefeelmoderatelytoverycomfortablesharingpersonalinformationacrossthese

platforms.Thiscreatesauniqueissueforconversationalappsmostofwhomencrypt

conversationsandcannotthereforeidentifyfraudattempts.Forthisreasonitisimportanttoworkondigital-IDverificationthatwillenablepeopletoverifytheyaredealingwithatrustedentityandcreatelowfrictionpathstotransactionsthatoccuroutsideoftheencrypted

environment.

Exhibit18:Personaldataonconversationalapps-Arepeopleengaginginriskybehaviour?

Whenaskedtochoosewhichdatatheyweremostconcernedaboutprotecting,consumersoverwhelminglyindicatedfinancialdatafirst(49%)andpersonallyidentifiableinformation

(PII)second(42%);othercategoriesaredistantconcerns(location5%,health3%).The

patternisbroadanduniform,althoughitisunclearwhichoffinancialvs.PIIflipsbetween

markets.Thisseemstoindicatethatconsumersdifferentiatesignificantlythetypeofdatathattheywouldshare,andthisshouldbetakenintoaccountwhendesigningsystems.Greater

inclusionofdataconsumersaremorewillingtoshare,andstrictcontrolsandcommunicationonthosetowhichtheyaresensitiveaimedatkeepingalloftheirdatasafe.

Exhibit19:Concernoverdatatypes-Whatarepeopleafraidofsharing

Opportunitiesformobilenetworkoperators

MNOsareuniquelypositionedtoreducedeceptivepracticeswithoutbroaddataexposure.Thepriorityisoutcome-basedsignalsthatstrengthenauthentication,detertakeoverandguidesafebehaviour,implementedwithduediligence,auditedinternalcontrols,andclearguardrails.

Hardenthehotroutes

Focusonthechannelsthatmattermost:voiceandOTTvoice/messaging.Expandverifiedcallerdisplayandscreeningonriskycalls;tightenSMSsender-IDregimestocounter

impersonation;scaletakedownandescalationpathwayswithsocialplatformsforpatternrecognitionofsuspiciousactivity.Thegoalisfewerchancesforsocialengineeringtowork.

Focusandgaingroundoneasywins

Defaultpromptsfor2FA/authenticatorand“officialcall-backonly”behavioursreduceidentitytheftandaccounttakeover.Anear-termopportunityisSIM-swap/number-bindingchecksathigh-riskmomentstoreducefalsepositivesforbanksandwalletsatmomentsofhighriskbutsignificantopportunitiestoscalebeyond.

Sharesignalswithguardrails

Keepdatapurpose-limitedandtransparent,forexample,device/SIMchangestatusatthetimeofariskytransaction,orcoarselocationconfidenceforanomalydetection.Publisha

shortdatauseandretentionnotesocustomersandjournalistscanseetheattribution,chainofcustody,andremediationsteps.

Turnreportingintoresolution

Withmostvictimsalreadyreporting,integratebank,telco,platformandpoliceworkflowssocustomersseevisibleprogress.Shortentheloopfromreport,throughforensicanalysis,toincidentresponse.Sharede-identifiedthreatintelligencetoimprovefrauddetectionacrosstheecosystem.

ScalingdetectionwithAIatthenetworkedge

MobilenetworksarestartingtouseAI-drivenpatternrecognitiontospotemergingscam

tacticsinrealtime,atascalemanualrulescan’tmatch.Severaloperatorsintheregion

alreadyrunnear-real-timeanomalydetectionwithhuman-in-the-loopreview,enablingrapidblocksandtakedownswithoutinspectingmessagecontent.Earlyresultsincludefaster

identificationofimpersonationbursts,detectionofbrand-newsendernamesbeforethey’rewidelyabused,andcross-channelcorrelationthatrevealscoordinatedcampaigns.Thiswillbecomeincreasinglycriticalasthewaytoscaleandcoordinateresponseswithshifting

tacticsofscammers.

Countrysnapshots

Thailand(TH)

ThailandalignswithASEANonconcernlevelsbutstandsoutforscaleandwherepeople

turn.Victimisationismateriallyhigher(+21ppYoY),andtheroutesareVoice(48%)andOTT(38%),withLINEuniquelyprominent(41%)amongconversationalappsduetothe

prominenceofuseinthecountry.Policereportingisnotablyhigh,socaseflowoftenstartsinlawenforcementratherthanbanksorplatforms.

Acceptanceofprotectivesignalsshowsthebiggestjumpregion-wide(73%to85%),

indicatingstrongpublicbackingforthesharingofdatatominimiseandpreventthegrowingfraudpatterns.

Singapore(SG)

SingaporemirrorsASEANinsupportforminimal,purpose-boundchecksandreportingistheregion’sstrongest,typicallybank-first,whichtightensthehandofftorecovery.

ThecontactmixisVoice(30%)andOTT(30%)withSMS(23%)andSocial(21%)showingmorebroadchannelsthanASEANaverages.PerceivedriskonTelegram(52%)and

Facebook(58%)ishighandalignedwithASEANlevels,sovigilanceonconversational-appcommerceisstillwarranted.

Comfortofdatasharinghasincreasedonanexceptionbasis(70%to75%),reinforcingthatthe“usetheminimumsignals,onlywhenneeded”approachiscomfortableforconsumers.

Malaysia(MY)

MalaysialooksclosetoASEANonoverallconcernsandwillingnesstoshareprotectivesignals,butreportingbehaviourismorefinancialproviderandplatform-centricthan

police-centric.TheentrypointsskewOTT(52%)andVoice(40%),withSocial(34%)andSMS(25%)active,implyinghybridplaybooksratherthanSMS-first.

Malaysiansareincreasinglycomfortablesharingwithscopecontrol(comfortincreasing68%

to75%onexceptionbasis)andshowsteadyreporting,givingMYoneofthebetterbasesformeasurabletime-to-recoveryimprovementsversuspeers.

Indonesia(ID)

OnmostmeasuresIndonesiatrackstheASEANpicture:victimisationisupandpeoplearebroadlysupportiveofpurpose-limiteddatasharingtostopfraud.Perceptionofriskis

concentratedonFacebookandTelegram,whichisalsoconsistentacrosstheregion.

WhereIDdiffersisthechannelmixandfollow-through.Scamsareevenmoremobile-first,withOTT(50%)andVoice(44%)bothabovetheASEANaverage,andSocial(36%)stillmaterialsomulti-channelspilloveriscommon.Reportinglagspeers(ahighershareof

victimsdon’treport,comparedwithSG/TH),andvictimsleanlesstobanksandmoretopolice/techplatforms

Comfortintelcossharingpersonaldatarisesfrom75%to81%whenlimitedtosuspicioustransactions.

Philippines(PH)

ThePhilippinesfollowsASEANonanxietyandsupportfortight,outcome-basedcontrols,butdivergessharplyonexposureandchannels.Itrecordsthesecond-highestlifetime

victimisation(52%vsASEANat45%),andvictimsciteSocial(48%)andSMS(37%)farmorethanVoice,aninversionoftheregionalpattern.

Facebookassociationisthehighest(70%),andTelegramisalsoelevated(47%),consistentwithregionalaverages,soplatformescalationisthecriticalchoke-point.Comfortwith

exception-baseddatasharinghasrisen(74%to78%),butthemixmeanssender-IDhygieneandsocial-platformenforcementmovetheneedlemorethancallcontrols.

Vietnam

ThisisthefirsttimethatVietnamhasbeenincludedinthesurvey.

Vietnamreportsthehighestlevelofscamsexperiencedintotal(56%)andalsowithinthelast12months(11%ofrespondentsvs.theASEANaverageat8%).Thisindicatesthatscams

andfraudarehittingthisdevelopingmarketthehardestofallmarketsmeasuredinthesurvey.

ItmatchesASEANonhighconcernandbroadacceptanceofpurpose-limitedchecks,andthecontactmixtiltstoVoice(52%)withSocial(35%)next(closertoID/THthantoPH/SG).

Policereportingisrelativelystrong,whilebank/platformroutesarelessconsistent,whichaffectsthespeedofrecovery.

RiskperceptionclustersaroundFacebook(64%)andTelegram(55%),aswiththerestoftheregion.

Comfortwithexception-basissharingispositive(76%),suggestingroomtointroducearange

oftransactionrisk-basedchecks.

Conclusionandthepathforward

Thepictureisconsistentacrossthenewanalysis:scamsarerising,theyarrivethrough

everydaymobilechannels,andpeopleexpectvisibleprotectionwithoutaprivacytrade-off.

Theopportunityistomeetthemwherescamsactuallyland(i.e.voice,OTT,socialandSMS)withcontrolsthataretargeted,transparentandfast.

Startwiththeroutesthatmatter.Makecallerscreeningandverifiedsendersroutine,tightenSIM-change/number/devicechecksatloginandpayment,andpushofficialcall-backasthedefaulthabit.UseDigitalIdentitythewayconsumersacceptit:minimalsignals,onlywhenriskispresent,andwithsimpledisclosures.

Closethetrust–usegaponplatforms.PeoplebuyonFacebookeveryweek,evenwhileratingittheleasttrustedenvironment;thatcombinationincreasesexposuretoimpersonationand

counterfeitgoods.Thefixispractical:bettersellerverification,fastertakedowns,safer

paymentsandcleardisputeroutes,plusacoordinatedhand-offtobankswhenmoney

moves.Ascryptoadoptiongrowstoroughly1-in-4onlineadults,exchangesandwalletsalsoneednumberbindingan