Southeast Asia's powerful criminal networks are making extensive use of the messaging app Telegram, which has fundamentally changed the way organized crime conducts large-scale illegal operations, the United Nations said in a report on Monday.
The report comes after France accused its boss, Pavel Durov, of allowing criminal activity on the platform using tough new laws that have no international equivalent. represents the latest charges brought against.
According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), hacked data such as credit card details, passwords, and browser history are openly traded on the app on a large scale, and the channel has become unregulated. It is said to be widespread and largely unregulated.
According to the report, tools used for cybercrime, such as so-called deepfake software designed for fraudulent purposes and data-stealing malware, are also widely available for sale, while unlicensed cryptocurrency exchanges offer money laundering services. It is said that there is
“We move 3 million USDT per day stolen from abroad,” one ad said in Chinese, the report quoted.
“There is strong evidence that the underground data market is moving to Telegram, and that the vendor is actively targeting transnational organized crime groups based in Southeast Asia,” the report said.
Southeast Asia has emerged as a major hub for a multibillion-dollar industry that targets victims around the world with fraudulent schemes.
Many are Chinese syndicates operating from fortified facilities staffed with trafficked workers.
According to UNODC, the industry generates between $27.4 billion and $36.5 billion annually.
Russian-born Durov was arrested in Paris in August and charged with allowing criminal activity on the platform, including the dissemination of sexual images of children.
The move focused on criminal liability for app providers and sparked a debate about where free speech ends and law enforcement begins.
Telegram, which has nearly 1 billion users, did not respond to requests for comment.
Durov, who is currently out on bail after his arrest, said the app hands over users' IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities who can make legal requests.
He also said the app will remove some features that are being misused for illegal activities.
Benedict Hoffmann, UNODC's deputy representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said the app was an easy environment for criminals to navigate.
“For consumers, this means their data is at greater risk than ever of being compromised by fraud and other criminal activity,” he told Reuters.
The report said the sheer amount of profits being reaped by criminal groups in the region has forced them to innovate, integrating new business models and technologies such as malware, generative artificial intelligence and deepfakes into their operations. added.
UNODC announced that it had identified more than 10 deepfake software service providers “specifically targeting criminal groups involved in cyber fraud in Southeast Asia.”
Elsewhere in Asia, police in South Korea, estimated to be the most targeted country for deepfake porn, have reportedly launched an investigation into whether Telegram is aiding and abetting online sex crimes. are.
Reuters also reported last month that hackers used a Telegram chatbot to leak data from Star Health, a major Indian insurance company, prompting the insurer to sue the platform.
Using the chatbot, Reuters was able to download insurance policies and claim documents that included names, phone numbers, addresses, tax details, copies of ID cards, test results, and medical diagnoses.
