Asha Hemrajani, an analyst at Singapore’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said cooperation among Asean members and major powers to tackle such scams had improved, but more needs to be done.
“I expect further talks on faster identification of trafficking victims and on streamlining standard operating procedures for the repatriation of both victims and perpetrators,” she told FMT.
Hemrajani said discussions could also include intelligence sharing on scam operators and money-mule networks, as well as coordination with banks to freeze assets linked to scam activity.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday that transnational scam rings would be a key topic at the summit due to their growing impact on regional stability and economic health.
He said scam centres are affecting the stability and economic health of the region, which is a matter of concern among Asean members.
The United Nations has labelled Southeast Asia “ground zero” for global scam networks. Cyber scams in the region generate an estimated US$43.8 billion (RM185.3 billion) in annual revenue, according to the UN.
Victims include citizens from the Asean states as well as those of the US and China.
Hemrajani said US treasury department data show that Americans lost more than US$10 billion to scams originating from Asean in 2024.
She said China had also intensified action against such crimes, with Chinese courts recently sentencing to death 11 members of a crime family operating scam centres in Myanmar after their arrest and extradition in 2023.
Last week, the US and UK imposed sanctions on a Southeast Asia-based transnational cryptocurrency crime network.
South Korean president Lee Jae-Myung is also expected to raise similar concerns at the Asean Summit following reports of South Koreans falling victim to Cambodia-based scam operations.
Hemrajani said the tolerance shown by some governments to such scam compounds, especially in parts of Myanmar where central control is weak, had slowed efforts to eradicate the problem.
“Eliminating scam farms has been like a game of whack-a-mole. Even when one is shut down, another emerges quickly elsewhere,” she said.
She said traffickers were expanding recruitment to new markets by luring jobseekers with high salary offers, citing recent attempts to recruit Singaporeans.
Hemrajani said Asean’s anti-scam efforts must include a stronger focus on money laundering, which helps sustain criminal networks.
“Some Chinese crime families in Myanmar run both scam operations and casinos to launder their proceeds. If we nip money laundering in the bud through better regulatory oversight, the incentive to scam will drop,” she said.
Asean’s ministerial meeting on transnational crime recently endorsed three leaders’ declarations for adoption at the summit, including one proposed by Malaysia on combating money laundering. A new working group on the issue has also been proposed.
While cross-border cooperation is crucial, Hemrajani warned against over-reliance on external partners.
“Asean members need to impose tighter restrictions and prevent these criminals from entering or gaining citizenship in their territories,” she said.
Given that many scam compounds operate from conflict zones in Myanmar, she said, Asean may need to reconsider its long-standing non-interference policy to tackle the crisis more effectively.