APA-Obs

Divided lands, How cyber scams reshape communities, economies and ecosystems in Cambodia

Divided lands

...ights into the wide and diverse effects of the scam industry on communities and economies across Cambodia, and discusses implications for response. It shows that framing scams solely as a criminal or cybersecurity issue rather than as a development, labour, land governance and social protection problem not only fails to address the political and economic conditions that allow scam economies to embed th...

Posted on 31 Aug 2026

Author(s): Gabriel Fauveaud, Ronan Kemp

Eco-Solve

Combating the illegal wildlife trade online, A guide for cyber units, NGOs and researchers

Combating the illegal wildlife trade online

Posted on 17 Jun 2026

Global Initiative

Democratizing cybercrime: How sophisticated AI systems are empowering a new generation of cybercriminals 

...AI is once again in the news for the wrong reasons, with recent developments at two major companies – Anthropic and OpenAI – introducing an unprecedented cybersecurity vulnerability into global digital infrastructure.   On 26 March, Anthropic accidentally leaked internal documents detailing a new tool named ‘Claude Mythos’, described b...

Posted on 31 Mar 2026

UN Cyberwatch

Deadlock for UN cybercrime treaty: Familiar issues derail discussions in Vienna

...Despite being adopted by consensus, with broad support from member states, the UN Convention against cybercrime has hit an early stumbling block. A clear divide over the participation of non‑state stakeholders has caused the procedural process to grind to a halt, against the backdrop of a UN budgetary c...

Posted on 10 Feb 2026

Author(s): Ian Tennant

APA-Obs

Designating cyber scam networks helps protect those exposing them against legal challenges

...2025, the US government charged Chen Zhi, founder of the Cambodia-based multinational business conglomerate Prince Group, for allegedly masterminding a vast criminal empire involving the operation of cyber scam compounds, where victims are forced to conduct online scams. As part of a joint operation involving the seizure of more than US$14 billion in bitcoin and 19 properties in London, the US and the ...

Posted on 28 Oct 2025

Author(s): Lindsey Kennedy, Nathan Paul Southern

Global Organized Crime Index, UN Cyberwatch

The cybercrime arms race

...On 19 September, several European airports experienced flight delays and operational issues after their check-in and boarding systems were hit by a cybersecurity breach, causing disruption for thousands of travellers over several days. This incident, along with a string of other significant attacks in recent years, reflects the broader reality that cy...

Posted on 30 Sep 2025

Author(s): Camilla Silvi Marchini

APA-Obs

The business of exploitation: The economics of cyber scam operations in Southeast Asia

The business of exploitation:

...cyber scam operations in Southeast Asia are part of a vast and evolving illicit industry that relies on trafficking, financial fraud, corruption and professional money laundering networks. This policy brie...

Posted on 19 Aug 2025

Author(s): Kristina Amerhauser, Audrey Thill

APA-Obs

Flying under the radar: How airports and airlines could be vital partners in combating the cyber scam industry

...The growth of cyber scam centres around the world is fuelling a global human trafficking crisis on a scale and organizational complexity rarely seen since the height of the transatlantic slave trade. In just a few years...

Posted on 12 Jun 2025

Author(s): Lindsey Kennedy, Nathan Paul Southern

APA-Obs

Compound crime: Cyber scam operations in Southeast Asia

Compound crime

...cyber scam operations have surged across Southeast Asia since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, evolving into a transnational organized crime crisis of staggering proportions. In this report, we expose t...

Posted on 29 May 2025

Global Initiative

Joint US–India focus on cyber scams is a chance to curb a global fraud epidemic

...an serve criminal interests. Now is the time for India and the United States, both exploited by online scammers, to show global leadership in jointly tackling this growing threat. A global rise in cyber scams India has long been at the centre of discussions about scams and online fraud. The country emerged as a hub for the call centre industry in the 1990s, when prominent Western companies – at...

Posted on 21 Apr 2025

Author(s): Jack Meegan-Vickers, Kristina Amerhauser

EAS-Obs, EUR-Obs

Lawless cyberspace: Why Eastern Europe leads global cybercrime

Lawless cyberspace

...cybercrime is a growing global threat, causing trillions of dollars in economic damage annually. This report explores how Eastern Europe and Russia have become a significant hub for cybercriminal activity,...

Posted on 07 Apr 2025

Author(s): Luke Rodeheffer