AI-powered romance scams cost victims Sh4.8 trillion, INTERPOL warns
The growing threat has also affected Kenyans. A few days before the GI-TOC report was released, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi informed Parliament that more than 751 Kenyans had been rescued from scam compounds in Myanmar between 2022 and 2026.
Organised cybercrime syndicates are increasingly exploiting artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology to run sophisticated romance and investment scams that have generated an estimated 37 billion US dollars (about Sh4.8 trillion) in losses, according to the latest INTERPOL Asia and South Pacific Cyber Threat Assessment Report 2025/2026.
The report identifies cyber-enabled “romance baiting” scams as one of the fastest-growing threats in the region, with criminal networks using AI-generated identities, fake social media accounts and manipulated videos to lure victims into fraudulent online relationships before convincing them to part with money.
“Cybercrime groups in Southeast Asia are using emerging technologies to conduct cyber-enabled ‘romance baiting’ scams, which are estimated to have generated up to USD 37 billion in losses,” the report states.
INTERPOL says organised crime groups operating in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos have increasingly adopted deepfake technology to create convincing AI personas and deploy social engineering tactics that have fuelled billions of dollars in cybercrime proceeds.
The international police agency also warned that artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a key tool for cybercriminals.
Discussions on deepfake technology within criminal forums surged by 600 per cent between February and June 2024, signalling growing interest in the use of AI-generated videos, cloned voices and fabricated identities to impersonate business executives, celebrities and other public figures.
Besides online scams, the report reveals that ransomware attacks surpassed 135,000 incidents across Asia and the South Pacific in 2024, affecting critical sectors including finance, manufacturing and public services.
Among the most significant incidents cited was a cyberattack on Indonesia’s National Data Centre, which disrupted more than 280 government services, including immigration systems and airport operations.
Phishing attacks also remain a major concern, with the report indicating that an average of 5.5 out of every 1,000 people in the region click on phishing links each month, exposing themselves to financial fraud, data theft and identity-related crimes.
INTERPOL warned that cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging ransomware-as-a-service models, cryptocurrency laundering schemes and AI-powered fraud techniques, making cybercrime more organised, adaptable and harder to detect.
The agency called for stronger cooperation between governments, law enforcement agencies and the private sector, warning that cybercrime has evolved into a large-scale criminal enterprise with significant economic and human costs.
The findings come amid growing global concern over the expansion of industrial-scale scam operations.
Last month, the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) reported that scam centres have evolved into sophisticated global businesses that collectively steal at least one trillion US dollars annually, equivalent to nearly one per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In its report titled A World of Deceit, GI-TOC said scammers are increasingly benefiting from advanced technologies, political protection and elaborate money laundering networks.
“What emerges is a complex criminal industry that is evolving at pace, powered by high-tech tools, corrupt state actors and a multitude of workers in various states of exploitation. Only by addressing this system as a whole can the world hope to turn the tables on scammers,” the report stated.
The growing threat has also affected Kenyans. A few days before the GI-TOC report was released, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi informed Parliament that more than 751 Kenyans had been rescued from scam compounds in Myanmar between 2022 and 2026.
Of these, 615 have been repatriated, 39 remain imprisoned for illegal entry and repeat cybercrime offences, while 97 are being held in Thailand awaiting deportation after crossing borders. Authorities say efforts are ongoing to repatriate the remaining victims as others continue to escape from the compounds.
According to the Civil Society Network for Human Trafficking Victim Assistance (CSNHTV), at least 20 Kenyans are still trapped in online scam compounds operating near Myanmar’s border with Thailand.
The organisation says the victims include nationals from several countries, among them China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brazil, Russia, Uganda, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. Earlier this week, CSNHTV appealed to Thai police to intervene and rescue foreigners allegedly being held at four locations controlled by the Myanmar Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) militia.
