Nearly Half of ASEAN Scam Cases Remain Unresolved

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - GSMA released the ASEAN Consumer Scam Report 2026 on Wednesday, which shows that nearly half (45 percent) of the reported scam cases in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam remain unresolved, despite consumers taking more steps to protect themselves.

According to ANTARA, approximately 8 percent of surveyed consumers have fallen victim to scams in the past 12 months. Among the victims, 68 percent lost money—with 82 percent failing to recover their losses, while only 10 percent recouped their full amount—according to a report released at the Digital Trust Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Unresolved cases erode consumer trust in communication channels, digital platforms, and data-sharing practices, leading many consumers to alter how they use digital services and respond to incoming communications, the report reveals.

The report also indicates that messaging apps are the most common channel used in scam cases, accounting for 41 percent of reported scam incidents. In the meantime, consumers in the region are increasingly associating major digital platforms with scams.

The report also found that 96 percent of consumers are concerned about falling victim to scams or hacking, while nearly nine out of 10 consumers recognize at least one form of artificial intelligence (AI) used in fraudulent activities.

According to the report, fraudulent activity is increasingly shifting toward investment schemes, cryptocurrency, online shopping, and job scams, where victims are persuaded to transfer their own money. Consumers who have fallen victim to scams are also more than twice as likely to switch accounts or service providers.

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