Telegram Is A Hotbed For Southeast Asian Organized Crime, New UN Report Says

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The encrypted messaging platform Telegram has changed how criminal organizations operate in Southeast Asia amid the legal troubles of its founder, Pavel Durov, according to a new United Nations report.

In the October 7 report, the UN noted that underregulated platforms such as virtual asset service providers (VASPs) are “being used by major organized crime groups to move, launder and integrate billions in criminal proceeds into the financial system without accountability.”

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), financial bosses earned between $18 billion and $37 billion in scams targeting victims in East and Southeast Asia in 2023 alone.

Meanwhile, Chainalysis’ 2024 Global Crypto Adoption Index shows that Central and Southern Asia and Oceania boast 7 of the top 20 countries driving crypto adoption worldwide.

“Organized crime groups are converging and exploiting vulnerabilities, and the evolving situation is rapidly outpacing governments’ capacity to contain it,” said Masood Karimipour, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. “…It is more critical than ever for governments to recognize the severity, scale and reach of this truly global threat, and to prioritize solutions that address the rapidly evolving criminal ecosystem in the region.”

The report marks the latest pushback Durov has experienced since he was arrested outside of Paris on August 24 for reportedly failing to reign in illegal content on Telegram.

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