Scam Ready ASEAN Resource Hub launched to build resilience against digital scams

Detailed summary

The ASEAN Foundation launched the Scam Ready ASEAN Resource Hub (ScamReadyASEAN.org), a free digital learning platform designed to equip communities across Southeast Asia with practical knowledge and tools to recognise and prevent online scams.

The platform was unveiled during the first Scam Ready ASEAN Public-Private Partnership Dialogue in Manila.

The Resource Hub brings together a Scam Ready ASEAN curriculum, developed using global insights from internet safety experts at the Internet Society and the Global Cyber Alliance, alongside local knowledge from implementing partners. It also features Google’s Be Scam Ready educational game, which helps users recognise common scams and make safer decisions in real-life situations. In addition, it provides a directory of scam reporting hotlines and contact centres across all 11 ASEAN Member States.

The Resource Hub is part of Scam Ready ASEAN, a regional programme implemented by the ASEAN Foundation from 2025 to 2027, with $5 million in support from Google.org. The programme aims to reach three million people across the region through structured training, gamified learning, awareness campaigns, and public-private dialogues.

According to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, scams across Southeast Asia caused an estimated $23.6 billion in losses in 2024, while AI-enabled deception, instant payment systems, and borderless digital platforms are making these threats faster, more sophisticated, and harder to address.

According to Ministry of Public Security, Vietnam recorded 24,295 online fraud cases between 2020 and 2025, resulting in nearly $1.5 billion in losses. More recently, the first half of 2026 saw a 56 per cent decline in reported cases and a 38 per cent reduction in financial losses compared with the same period in 2025.

Despite these improvements, online scams remain a concern as fraudsters increasingly exploit emerging technologies, including AI-powered impersonation and deepfakes, to develop more sophisticated schemes. This evolving threat highlights the importance of sustained public education, practical digital literacy training, and closer cross-sector collaboration to help communities recognise scams and protect themselves.

Piti Srisangnam, executive director of…

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