At the recently concluded ASEAN Leaders Summit, online fraud and its associated human trafficking phenomenon received widespread attention from participating countries.

In fact, from a global perspective, Southeast Asian countries are not the only ones troubled by telecommunications fraud crimes. Both developing countries located in Africa and developed economies such as Europe and America are "woven" into the "chain" of global online fraud.

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On May 11th, the 42nd ASEAN Summit came to an end in Indonesia. The statement released after the summit pointed out that ASEAN countries are concerned about the increasing number of online fraud and its associated human trafficking phenomena in the region and globally. Criminals are increasingly using social media and other online platforms to introduce, recruit, and exploit victims.

There are increasing concerns within ASEAN countries about the rampant online fraud activities. According to the Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs of Malaysia earlier, almost all member countries raised this issue at this year's ASEAN Digital Ministers Meeting. He cited data stating that Malaysia loses over 5 billion ringgit (approximately RMB 7.73 billion) annually due to fraud crimes, while Singapore reports losses exceeding 2 billion Singapore dollars (approximately RMB 10.42 billion). "ASEAN countries need to work together at the regional level to combat online fraud.".

The online fraud crimes in Southeast Asia not only affect countries within the region, but also pose more harm than just money fraud. There are numerous reports that people from Asia and beyond have been lured to work in countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia, and many have been forced to engage in telecommunications fraud. These fraudulent networks are often associated with transnational criminal organizations.

According to the International Organization for Migration, most of the people trafficked into these online scams come from various parts of Asia, including Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh, but there are also some people from distant regions such as Brazil and Kenya. The main destination countries for the victims are Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.

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According to reports, a recent study shows that online fraud poses a threat to bank users worldwide. According to this study, the French are the most easily deceived in Europe, with 33% of respondents admitting to being victims of online fraud; Worldwide, Indians (52%) and Americans (41%) have higher rates of being deceived.

A previous study by the Global Anti Fraud Alliance showed that according to data collected from 48 countries, global fraud cases caused a total of $55.3 billion (approximately RMB 386.93 billion) in losses in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 15.7%. In many countries, including the UK, Russia, and Singapore, online fraud has become one of the highest crime types. In developing countries, the number of fraud cases is also increasing.

According to data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in March this year, Americans lost $10.3 billion (approximately RMB 72.06 billion) due to various online scams in 2022, the highest amount in nearly five years, an increase of 47% from the previous year. The bureau's Cybercrime Complaints Center receives an average of over 2000 requests for help per day.

Behind the continuous expansion of global online fraud is the savage growth of related criminal networks. According to reports, senior police officers from Interpol have stated that the growth of online fraud groups in sub Saharan Africa has a direct impact on other parts of the world, with victims of fraud carried out by these groups spread throughout the world.

The International Criminal Police Organization describes online fraud involving bank card and credit card fraud as the most common and urgent threat of cybercrime in Africa. Analysts of the organization said that the COVID-19 has led to a continuous increase in the number of cyber attacks, including more than twice the number of attacks against online banking platforms.

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In order to combat telecommunications fraud, governments and international organizations around the world have put in a lot of effort, and some experiences and practices can also be learned from.

Online fraud is mostly targeted fraud, and the key to its implementation is to obtain the personal information of victims. Therefore, it has become an international practice to increase special legislation on personal information protection in the pre fraud governance process.

At present, more than 130 countries around the world have formulated laws specifically for the protection of personal information, such as the EU's General Data Protection Regulations and Japan's Personal Information Protection Law. In response to electronic information fraud, major developed countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan have introduced relevant laws, laying a legal foundation for the governance of telecommunications network fraud.

In terms of strengthening the security management of payment and transfer links, Japan's "Counterfeit Account Deposit Victims Relief Law" authorizes banks to freeze suspicious accounts and makes provisions for the reduction of debts of victims and the return of fraudulent amounts. South Korea implements a "delayed withdrawal" system, which means that after receiving bank transfer instructions of over 1 million Korean won (approximately 5242 yuan), if you want to withdraw money from the ATM, you need to wait for more than 30 minutes.

Effective crackdown on online fraud requires strong law enforcement agencies and close cooperation between them. Countries such as the United States, Germany, Japan, and Thailand have established specialized agencies responsible for preventing and managing telecommunications network fraud. In 2019, the United States established the Cybersecurity Agency, which specializes in providing clues related to large-scale online fraud. In 2018, the Financial Industry Association of the UK, together with the UK Treasury, London Police, and Metropolitan Police, established a task force dedicated to combating fraudulent crimes.

Due to the strong transnational criminal characteristics of online fraud, cross-border joint law enforcement between different countries is particularly necessary. Therefore, the ASEAN summit statement specifically pointed out that countries agree to strengthen cooperation in border management, investigation, law enforcement, prosecution, and repatriation of victims of online fraud.

Liang Fan (Source: Workers Daily)