On 29 October 2025, Tech for Good Institute (TFGI), the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Safer Internet Lab convened stakeholders in Jakarta to address online fraud and scams in Southeast Asia.Southeast Asia’s digital economy is booming. Reaching US$263 billion in 2024, the region continues its double-digit growth trajectory. Yet this success brings new risks. Half of all internet users across ASEAN have been victims of online fraud. In Indonesia, public losses reached approximately Rp 7 trillion ($440 million) from 299,000 fraud reports between November 2024 and October 2025. The threat is transnational: INTERPOL’s Operation First Light 2024 arrested nearly 4,000 suspects and seized $257 million across 61 countries.The roundtable opened with research presentations on “Building Resilience Against Digitally-Enabled Scams and Fraud: A Whole-of-Society Approach” by TFGI and “Bridging the Gaps: Rethinking Regional Efforts Against Online Frauds and Scams” by CSIS. Later, the discussion examined Indonesia’s national landscape before exploring regional cooperation frameworks.Key Takeaways1. Coordinated national anti-scam centers with integrated reportingMost countries in the region face the challenge of not having designated anti-scam coordination hubs. Research shows 79% of scam victims don’t know where to report incidents, while 66% of Indonesians have encountered scam messages, and 57% know someone who’s been scammed. The establishment of the Indonesian Anti-Scam Center (IASC) represents progress, but coordination across agencies remains an area of improvement. Platforms like cekrekening.id and aduankonten.id have received 835,000+ reports since 2017, though integration gaps—particularly with the private sector, persist.This led the discussion to explore a “One Front Door” approach in which victims report once and cases are automatically routed to relevant agencies, such as banks, police, regulators, and telcos. Several participants saw potential in integrating LAPOR (Indonesia’s established public service platform) as a single entry point with automatic routing. Adding SMS (Short Message Service) and USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) options could serve areas with limited connectivity, as SMS allows text-based communication through basic cellular networks while USSD provides real-time, session-based messaging that works even on the most basic mobile phones without requiring internet access. Finally, the issue of timing emerged repeatedly throughout the roundtable. Offenders can move money in minutes, while agency coordination takes hours. Even though the Financial Services Authority prevented approximately $23 million in losses, the gap between incidents, reports, and recoveries underscores the need for coordinated capacity-building.2. Digital literacy programs reaching MSMEs and remote communitiesNearly one in four Indonesian consumers lost money to scams via real-time payments in 2024, up from 19% the previous year. Fieldwork findings illustrate this: MSMEs have received fake tax authority messages containing accurate personal data; caterers have fallen victim to phantom institutional orders; and in remote areas, fake investments spread through trusted community figures. The human trafficking dimension is particularly alarming – ver 3,700 Indonesians have been trafficked into online scam operations, with returned migrant workers especially vulnerable.One striking statistic stood up: approximately 110 million potential scam messages were detected in just three months. This finding prompted discussions on scaling digital literacy programs to tier-3 and tier-4 areas. Several participants brought up “scam vaccine” approaches using gamified micro-learning that builds pattern recognition through safe simulations. This concept mirrors Google’s recently launched “Be Scam Ready” initiative in Singapore, which builds awareness through a hands-on game experience. The aim is to teach people to spot red flags before encountering real threats.3. Regional cooperation through ASEAN frameworks and data exchangeThe scale of the regional problem became clear, as evidenced in the numbers reported by various organisations. The UN noted over 100,000 people trafficked into Cambodia’s scam industry in 2023, with over $2 trillion in accumulated illegal capital. While ASEAN has commitments, operational mechanisms for cross-border response still have gaps to be addressed. ASEAN established the Regional Computer Emergency Response Team in October 2024, with $10 million in backing from Singapore, which could serve as a starting point for collaborations, especially in combating scams and fraud. There are also recommendations to develop shared taxonomies, standardised evidence templates, and operational contact points.The data-sharing challenge is particularly tricky. Phone numbers and mule account indicators constitute personal data which require consent and are governed by existing legal frameworks. There is a need for agreement on data-sharing mechanisms that could allow secure, purpose-limited indicators across banks, fintechs, telcos, platforms, and enforcement agencies, while maintaining privacy safeguards. Identity systems and telecommunications hygiene were also identified as critical issues.4. Victim-centered systems combining rapid response with supportThe discussion also touched on the possibility of anti-scam centers co-locating with representatives from banks, e-commerce platforms, and other organisations, enabling faster content takedowns and account freezes. In addition, participants noted the importance of stopping victim-blaming, advocating for scam response and recovery approaches that address not only from financial and technical facets, but also the emotional and social perspective. Indonesia’s “gotong royong” spirit emerged as an underutilised resource: community-driven approaches, in which individuals learn to spot scams, teach their networks, create organic defence layers that grow from trusted relationships. This kind of peer-to-peer education often complements top-down campaigns, especially in communities where trust in institutions is still being built.