Southeast Asia lost an estimated US$23.6 billion to online scams in the past year, according to new research launched on Tuesday (Sep 2) at the Global Anti-Scam Summit (GASS) Asia 2025 in Singapore.

The summit unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening regional and global defences against online fraud, including Singapore’s move to join an international scam signal exchange, fresh funding from Google’s philanthropic arm, and new education programmes.

Singapore First Government Agency to Join Global Signal Exchange

The Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) became the first government body worldwide to join the Global Signal Exchange (GSE). The clearinghouse, co-founded by Oxford Information Labs Research, Google and the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), tracks over 400 million threats in real time and allows members to share scam signals for faster disruption.

Technology companies including Meta and Microsoft are already members of the GSE. Singapore’s participation marks a significant step towards public-private collaboration on scam prevention.

“Artificial intelligence is a double-edged sword,” said Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Digital Development and Information. “While it empowers scammers to scale operations through deepfakes and automated campaigns, it also gives us tools to fight back. Combating scams requires close cooperation between governments, industry and civil society.”

Google Pledges US$5 Million to ASEAN Foundation

Google.org announced a US$5 million (S$6.7 million) funding package for the ASEAN Foundation to expand scam prevention programmes to 3 million people across Southeast Asia.

The initiative includes scaling up “Be Scam Ready”, an educational game that trains players to recognise fraudulent tactics. A Singapore launch is planned for October, with further rollouts across Asia Pacific in 2026 via GASA’s network.

New Report and Education Game

The Tech for Good Institute, supported by Google.org, released a new report on building digital resilience against scams. Based on input from more than 70 regional experts, the study called for a “whole-of-society” approach, emphasising localised strategies and victim support systems.

Separately, Singapore-based social enterprise Bamboo Builders announced “ScamWISE Squad”, a web-based game that adapts real scam cases into interactive scenarios. Due for release in 2026, the game aims to equip 100,000 Singaporeans—particularly youth and seniors—with scam awareness skills.

Rising Scam Threat Across Southeast Asia

The State of Scams in Southeast Asia 2025 Report, released during the summit, surveyed 6,000 respondents across six countries. It found:

• Average losses per victim: US$660
• Singapore had the highest per-person losses: US$2,132
• Nearly two-thirds of scams occur within 24 hours of first contact
• 77% of adults in the region encountered at least one scam attempt in the past year

“Online scams are not just a consumer inconvenience, they are a global security challenge undermining digital trust and economic resilience,” said Jorij Abraham, Managing Director of GASA.

GASA Expands in Southeast Asia

To bolster its regional presence, GASA announced new operational chapters in Indonesia and the Philippines, joining its Singapore hub. The expansion is expected to strengthen intelligence sharing and cooperation among public and private stakeholders.

“Singapore has shown that alignment between the public and private sectors can move the needle,” said Rajat Maheshwari, Chairman of the GASA Singapore Chapter and Senior Vice President at Mastercard. “The challenge now is to scale these solutions across Southeast Asia.”

Organisers said the next phase involves embedding scam resilience education more widely, strengthening cross-border data sharing, and accelerating partnerships between regulators and technology companies.

The Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia 2025 continues this week, with delegates from governments, tech firms and civil society discussing coordinated strategies to address online fraud.