Latest news with #SoutheastAsia-based
The Diplomat
29-07-2025
- Business
- The Diplomat
US Senator Urges SpaceX to Block Internet Access to Southeast Asian Scam Operations
A United States senator has urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to block Southeast Asia's transnational criminal syndicates from using the company's Starlink satellite internet service to run scams on American citizens. According to a report by Reuters, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) wrote to Musk to alert him to recent reports that Starlink is being used by online scamming compounds based in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Such syndicates 'have apparently continued to use Starlink despite service rules permitting SpaceX to terminate access for fraudulent activity,' Hassan wrote in the letter to Musk, a copy of which was viewed by Reuters. She added that SpaceX 'has a responsibility to block criminals from using the service to target Americans.' She later followed this up with a post on social media that included a screenshot of the Reuters story and called publicly for the company to take action. In her letter to Musk, Hassan also cited statistics from the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network showing that Southeast Asia-based scam operations have been responsible for defrauding U.S. citizens out of billions of dollars. Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly Chinese criminal syndicates have established a firm base of operations in mainland Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia and Myanmar. These factories of fraud have relied on a large indentured workforce – mostly ordinary people who have been attracted by promises of employment, only to be kept imprisoned and forced to operate various types of digital scams, often on pain of beatings, mistreatment, and torture, as detailed in a recent report by Amnesty International. In April, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that scamming operations had generated close to $37 billion globally in 2023. Hassan is not wrong to claim that Starlink has facilitated such operations, albeit unwittingly. The remote internet service has allowed crime groups to set up online scamming operations in remote parts of the region, particularly in peripheral parts of Myanmar run by rebel groups. Internet is widely available in most regions, but Starlink units provide a portable alternative that has allowed scam operations to relocate swiftly in response to crackdowns by the region's governments. In February, Thailand's government cut internet access, along with power connections and fuel supplies, to three regions of neighboring Myanmar in an effort to shut down the online scamming centers that had been established there. However, as one observer noted on X yesterday, any crackdown on Starlink operations in Myanmar might also imperil their use by Burmese civil society organizations and political groups resisting the rule of the military junta in Naypyidaw. These groups have used satellite internet services to circumvent the strict internet controls and widespread mobile phone blackouts imposed by the junta since it took power in a coup in February 2021. According to a report published in Frontier Myanmar in March, 'Opposition groups increasingly rely on foreign-owned networks, such as satellite Internet services, to bypass government control and maintain connectivity.' It added, 'If Musk (or Trump) imposes broad restrictions on Starlink due to concerns about online scamming and illicit businesses, it could have unintended consequences – severing critical communication channels for activists and resistance groups while doing little to curb criminal enterprises.'
Mint
15-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Indians lost staggering ₹7,000 crore to online scams in 5 months of 2025: Report
Indians lost around ₹ 7,000 crore to online scams in the first five months of 2025, an estimate by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has revealed. More than half of this amount was lost to scamsters operating out of Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, according to the report in the Indian Express. The analysis of the data compiled by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), a unit under MHA, revealed that these scams are often run from high-security locations, reportedly controlled by Chinese operators, where trafficked people, including Indians, are forced to work, the Indian Express report said. According to the report, the scams led to a loss of around ₹ 1,000 crore every month in India on average. 'In January, ₹ 1,192 crore was lost to Southeast Asia-based countries, ₹ 951 crore in February, ₹ 1,000 crore in March, ₹ 731 crore in April and ₹ 999 crore in May,' the report quoted an official as saying. The report cited data from the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS), I4C's facility for helping citizens report and manage financial cyber fraud incidents. A recent investigation revealed that three types of major cybercrime frauds are operating from Southeast Asia. These include stock trading/investment scams, digital arrest, and task-based and investment-based scams. 'With the help of intelligence agencies, the government has identified at least 45 such scam compounds in Cambodia, five in Laos, and one in Myanmar,' the official said. Law enforcement agencies also tracked agents recruiting Indians for these operations. Most have been reported to be operating out of Maharashtra (59), followed by Tamil Nadu (51), Jammu and Kashmir (46), Uttar Pradesh (41), and Delhi (38). Indians are likely to lose over ₹1.2 trillion over the next year due to cyber fraud.
Mint
15-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Indians lost staggering ₹7,000 crore to online scams in 5 months of 2025: Report
Indians lost around ₹ 7,000 crore to online scams in the first five months of 2025, an estimate by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has revealed. More than half of this amount was lost to scamsters operating out of Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, according to the report in the Indian Express The analysis of the data compiled by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), a unit under MHA, revealed that these scams are often run from high-security locations, reportedly controlled by Chinese operators, where trafficked people, including Indians, are forced to work, the Indian Express report said. On an average, the scams led to A loss of around ₹ 1,000 crore every month in India, according to the report. 'In January, ₹ 1,192 crore was lost to Southeast Asia-based countries, ₹ 951 crore in February, ₹ 1,000 crore in March, ₹ 731 crore in April and ₹ 999 crore in May,' the report quoted an official saying. The report cited data from the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS), I4C's facility for helping citizens report and manage financial cyber fraud incidents. A recent investigation revealed that three types of major cybercrime frauds are operating from Southeast Asia. These include stock trading/investment scams, digital arrest, and task-based and investment-based scams. 'With the help of intelligence agencies, the government has identified at least 45 such scam compounds in Cambodia, five in Laos, and one in Myanmar,' the official said. Law enforcement agencies also tracked agents recruiting Indians for these operations. Most have been reported to be operating out of Maharashtra (59), followed by Tamil Nadu (51), Jammu and Kashmir (46), Uttar Pradesh (41), and Delhi (38). Indians are likely to lose over ₹1.2 trillion over the next year due to cyber fraud. According to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Indians are likely to lose over ₹ 1.2 trillion over the next year due to cyber fraud.
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Exclusive: Indians losing Rs 1,000 crore every month to cyber frauds originating from Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries, shows MHA analysis
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has estimated that a significant portion of the cyber scams targeting Indians come from Southeast Asia. It attributes over half of the approximately Rs 7,000 crore lost to online scams in the first five months of this year, January to May, to networks operating out of Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. According to data compiled by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), a unit under MHA, these scams are often run from high-security locations, reportedly controlled by Chinese operators, where trafficked people, including Indians, are forced to work. An analysis of cyber frauds this year revealed that they are targeting the Indian economy, and the country faces a loss of around Rs 1,000 crore every month to such crimes. 'In January, Rs 1,192 crore was lost to Southeast Asia-based countries, Rs 951 crore in February, Rs 1,000 crore in March, Rs 731 crore in April and Rs 999 crore in May,' an official said, citing the data from the Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS), I4C's facilty to help citizens report and manage financial cyber fraud incidents. A senior government official told The Indian Express that senior officials of Cambodia recently met with the Indian government in Delhi and discussed an action plan. In the meeting, which was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and attended by the officials of Central investigation agencies, Cambodian officials requested to share the exact geographical coordinates of these scam centres in the country so that they can take action. 'With the help of intelligence agencies and testimonies of rescued people, the Indian government has identified at least 45 such scam compounds in Cambodia, five in Laos, and one in Myanmar. It also came to the fore that, apart from Indians, people from African countries, East Asia countries, Southeast Asia countries, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, Europe/North America and South America were also identified in these scam compounds,' the official said. A probe has revealed three types of major cybercrime frauds operating from Southeast Asia: stock trading/investment scams, digital arrest, and task-based and investment-based scams. The Indian government has also tracked several agents recruiting Indians for these operations, with the most operating out of Maharashtra (59), followed by Tamil Nadu (51), Jammu and Kashmir (46), Uttar Pradesh (41) and Delhi (38). 'Agents' data shows that they are hiring people the most for Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia,' the official said. The Indian Express first reported that more than 5,000 Indians were suspected to be trapped in Cambodia after being allegedly held against their will and forced to carry out cyber fraud. According to government estimates, Indians had been duped of at least Rs 500 crore in the six months before March this year. The Centre then set up an inter-ministerial panel to look into the issue and identify the loopholes. The panel identified gaps in the banking, immigration, and telecom sectors. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) then registered an FIR against point of sale (PoS) agents based in various states for allegedly issuing ghost SIM cards. After recording the statements of rescued and returned people, the government has tracked down their route of travel to Cambodia. 'It has been found that agents are sending people to Dubai to China and Cambodia, Tamil Nadu to Cambodia, Maharashtra to Thailand and Cambodia, Jaipur to Thailand and Cambodia, Jaipur to Vietnam to Bangkok and Cambodia, Delhi to Bangkok and Cambodia, Lucknow to Bangkok and Cambodia, Kerala to Vietnam and Cambodia, Kerala to Singapore and Cambodia, and Kolkata to Vietnam and Cambodia by road,' the official added.
Bangkok Post
06-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Reinvention in the Second Curve era
Let's be honest. The world is moving too fast for anyone to coast. Your skills? They could be outdated next quarter. Your business model? It might already be obsolete. Your identity? It could be the very thing holding you back. Welcome to the Second Curve era, where staying relevant isn't about climbing higher. It's about knowing when to leap sideways. What is the Second Curve? It's that bold decision to evolve before you're forced to. It's the pivot from success that's safe to meaning that's magnetic. It's what separates those who ride waves from those who get wiped out. Coined by Charles Handy, the Second Curve used to be a leadership theory. Now it's a survival strategy. And everyone from Bangkok tech founders to retired Silicon Valley execs is living it right now. Who's Reinventing? A Thai hotelier in his 60s just shut down his flagship property and turned it into a remote work wellness hub for digital nomads. His words? 'The tourists are different now. So I had to be too.' A former Southeast Asia-based fast-moving consumer goods executive left her C-suite post to launch a food sustainability startup that went viral on TikTok. Her audience? Gen Z and global investors. Middle managers at multinationals are flipping roles — becoming micro-influencers, internal coaches or AI-savvy product strategists because no one gets promoted just for keeping things running anymore. This isn't theoretical. It's happening on the streets of Sukhumvit, in the coffee shops of Ho Chi Minh and across boardrooms in Singapore. Reinvention is the new resume. Why Now? AI didn't take your job — your comfort zone did. Post-Covid clarity has people questioning old definitions of success. The over-60 crowd isn't retiring. They're rebooting. The 25–44 group isn't waiting. They're reclaiming. The timeline for transformation? Not 10 years. Not even two. It's now. How to Start Your Second Curve 1. Call your own bluff: If you're bored, stuck, or silently resentful, don't fake it. Face it. That's your signal to evolve. 2. Bet on experiments, not overhauls: Launch a side project. Test a new skill. Say yes to a stretch role. The second curve starts with micro moves, not massive exits. 3. Audit your identity: Are you leading like it's 2015? Selling like it's 2010? Thinking like it's 2000? Reinvention starts with awareness. 4. Join the bold: Surround yourself with people who are building new futures — not defending old ones. Growth is contagious. Thailand's Second Curve Moment Thailand is no exception. With the rise of smart manufacturing, AI-driven services and cross-border collaboration, the old playbooks won't cut it. We're not just shifting industries. We're shifting identities. And the companies and leaders who win in this era will be the ones who choose to reinvent before the world demands it. So here's the truth no one wants to say: You don't have time to wait until you're irrelevant. The second curve is already here. And the brave ones are already on it. Are you? Arinya Talerngsri is Senior Vice President, Local Partner and Managing Director at BTS Thailand (formerly SEAC), part of the BTS Group, a leading global strategy implementation firm. She is passionate about revolutionising education and creating opportunities for Thais and people worldwide. Executives and organisations looking to collaborate or learn more about leadership development, talent development, succession planning and organisational transformation can contact her directly at or visit her LinkedIn profile.
