Nearly half of reported online scam cases in six Southeast Asian (SEA) countries remain unresolved, raising concerns that fraud could weaken consumer trust in digital banking, e-commerce, artificial intelligence (AI), and government services.
The GSMA ASEAN Consumer Scam Report 2026 found that 45% of reported scam cases in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam had not been resolved.
Around 8% of consumers surveyed said they had been scammed in the previous 12 months. Among the victims, 68% lost money. Of those who suffered financial losses, 82% recovered nothing, while only 10% recovered everything.
“Access alone is no longer enough. As ASEAN’s digital economies become more sophisticated, people must have confidence that digital services are secure, reliable and accountable,” Julian Gorman, head of Asia Pacific at the GSMA, said during the Digital Trust Summit at M360 ASEAN.
The findings have serious implications for ASEAN’s growing digital economy. Scam victims were more than twice as likely to change their accounts or service providers compared with people who had not been scammed.
Messaging apps have also become the most common place where consumers encounter scams, accounting for 41% of reported experiences. Investment, cryptocurrency, online shopping, and job scams are also becoming more common. In many cases, criminals manipulate victims into transferring the money themselves.
Consumer fear is already widespread. The report found that 96% worry about being scammed or hacked, while nearly nine in 10 recognized at least one way AI could be used in scams.
AI tools are making phishing messages, deepfakes, voice cloning, and online impersonation more convincing. This makes it harder for consumers and businesses to determine whether a message, call, video, or online account is real.
A separate GSMA report, Digital Nations 2026: Building Trusted Digital Ecosystems in ASEAN, said trust could determine whether the region’s digital investments lead to wider adoption, business growth, and economic benefits.
“The findings from these reports show that digital trust is increasingly becoming a prerequisite for digital participation, innovation and growth. Countries that build confidence in digital infrastructure, services and institutions will be better placed to realise their digital ambitions,” Gorman said.
GSMA identified four foundations needed to improve digital trust: verified identities, authentic communications, resilient networks, and shared threat information.
It said governments, mobile operators, banks, digital platforms, and regulators must work together to stop scams before victims lose money. Mobile operators can help through identity checks, authentication services, network security, fraud detection, and the sharing of trusted information across ASEAN.