UN Report: Telegram Fuelling Organised Crime in Southeast Asia
The messaging app Telegram is being extensively used by powerful criminal networks in Southeast Asia, enabling large-scale illicit activity, according to a recent United Nations report. The United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) highlighted how the app has facilitated organised crime through its poorly moderated channels, allowing the trade of hacked data and cybercrime tools.
Telegram’s Role in Organised Crime and Cybercrime
The report revealed that Telegram has become a major platform for trading hacked information such as credit card details, passwords, and browser history. The app’s encrypted nature and vast channels with minimal moderation have made it an attractive environment for cybercriminals.
In addition to data trading, Telegram is being used to sell tools used in cybercrime, including deepfake software and malware. Unlicensed cryptocurrency exchanges that operate on the platform also provide money laundering services. One advertisement quoted in the report boasted, “We move 3 million USDT stolen from overseas per day,” indicating the scale of operations.
The UNODC report noted “strong evidence of underground data markets moving to Telegram and vendors actively looking to target transnational organised crime groups based in Southeast Asia.”
Organised Crime in Southeast Asia: A Growing Threat
Southeast Asia has emerged as a hub for a multibillion-dollar industry targeting victims globally with fraudulent schemes. Many of these operations are run by Chinese syndicates based in fortified compounds staffed by trafficked workers. The UNODC estimates that these criminal activities generate between $27.4 billion and $36.5 billion annually.
Criminal groups in the region have adapted to technological advancements, integrating new business models and tools such as malware, generative AI, and deepfakes to enhance their operations. More than 10 deepfake service providers specifically targeting cyber-enabled fraud in Southeast Asia were identified by the UNODC.
Telegram’s Response and Legal Troubles
Telegram, which has close to 1 billion users, did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the report. The platform’s founder, Pavel Durov, was arrested in Paris in August and charged with allowing criminal activity on the app, including the spread of sexual images of children. This arrest has sparked a wider debate on the responsibilities of app providers in curbing illegal activities on their platforms.
In response to legal pressures, Durov announced that Telegram would start handing over users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities making legal requests. The app also plans to remove some features that have been abused for illegal purposes.
Increasing Regulatory Attention and Global Implications
The use of Telegram by criminal networks is not limited to Southeast Asia. In South Korea, which is reportedly the most targeted country by deepfake pornography, police have launched an investigation into whether Telegram abets online sex crimes. Similarly, a recent incident in India saw a hacker use chatbots on Telegram to leak sensitive data from a major insurer, prompting a lawsuit against the platform.
Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC’s deputy representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, emphasised the risks associated with Telegram’s use by criminals: “For consumers, this means their data is at a higher risk of being fed into scams or other criminal activity than ever before.”
The scale of profits earned by criminal groups has driven them to innovate and adopt sophisticated technologies, raising concerns about the future of cybercrime and the challenges of law enforcement in the digital age.