{"id":24031,"date":"2025-09-24T03:36:05","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T02:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/?p=24031"},"modified":"2025-09-24T07:23:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T06:23:22","slug":"consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/","title":{"rendered":"Consumer Trust in Southeast Asia Falters as Cyber Scam Concerns Grow, New GSMA Commissioned Report Warns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Nearly ten percent of ASEAN consumers fell victim to scams last year, with 84% of respondents worried scams are on the increase<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>24 September 2025<\/strong>, Kuala Lumpur: Digital scams are an escalating concern for consumers across Southeast Asia, with nearly one in ten consumers (8%) in the region scammed in the last year, a new GSMA commissioned report into scams revealed today. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/gsma_resources\/state-of-scams-in-asean\/\">&#8220;ASEAN Consumer Scam Report 2025&#8221;<\/a>, authored by advisory firm Armidale, shows that growth in digital scams and fraud is eroding digital trust with more than two-thirds (67%) of consumers saying they are \u201cvery worried\u201d about the threat. Some 84% of respondents fear scams are on the increase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unveiled at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/gsma_events\/dns-kl-asean\/\">Digital Nation Summit &#8211; Kuala Lumpur (ASEAN Edition)<\/a>, the report surveyed more than 3,000 consumers in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam and found widespread concerns over scams, as well as significant financial and emotional impact on victims:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Victimisation: Eight percent of respondents were scammed in the past year; 25% of those incidents went unreported (32% in Indonesia).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Financial harm: 11% of victims lost material sums that still trouble them; the share rises to 16% in Malaysia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Anxiety: 67% describe themselves as \u201cvery worried\u201d about scams, and 84% believe scams are increasing &#8211; nearly one-third say \u201cvery rapidly.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Behavioural change: 92% have altered their online habits; adopting two-factor authentication is the most common step.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AI threat: 6% report being targeted by scams they believe were AI-generated.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Attack channels: Voice calls and messaging apps deliver 37% of scams, closely followed by social-media posts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Platform perception: 61% associate Facebook with scams.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Social-commerce caution: In Singapore, 83% avoid buying on Facebook and 67% avoid TikTok Shop, versus ASEAN averages of 51% and 31%.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Banking loyalty: 36% would switch financial-service providers for stronger security that leverages telecom-data insights.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Who should act: Governments (24%) and banks (22%) are seen as primary defenders; in Indonesia and the Philippines a larger share of people look to tech and social-media platforms (17%) to police themselves better.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific, GSMA, said: \u201cConsumer trust is the bedrock of ASEAN\u2019s digital economy. Our latest data reveals a crisis of confidence. People are changing how they behave online \u2013 and in some cases, walking away altogether. Unless we act decisively and together, we risk losing the momentum that digitalisation has built across Southeast Asia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The report also emphasises that keeping ASEAN\u2019s digital economy on track requires a united front. Governments and the banking sector &#8211; viewed by citizens as first-line responders &#8211; must collaborate closely with mobile operators and technology platforms to standardise security protocols, share threat intelligence and expand public-awareness initiatives. Restoring user<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>confidence through these joint efforts is essential to unlocking the full promise of digital connectivity for every person and business in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With these challenges at the helm, GSMA is calling for greater collaboration between mobile operators, financial institutions, e-commerce platforms, and governments to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Standardise threat reporting and cyber hygiene practices across sectors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leverage telecom data insights for real-time fraud detection<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Expand digital literacy and scam-awareness campaigns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Harmonise data protection and digital consumer rights frameworks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Support secure payment systems and cross-border QR-code integration<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings come alongside GSMA\u2019s new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/gsma_resources\/digital-nations-2025\/\">Digital Nations Report 2025<\/a>, which benchmarks ASEAN member states\u2019 readiness to achieve the ASEAN Connectivity Strategic Plan 2026\u20132035. Security and consumer trust are identified as core elements of digital nationhood, with the scam report results underscoring the urgent need for decisive, cross-sector collaboration now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two such initiatives being led by the GSMA are the Open Gateway framework, which is helping banks and online retailers in the region use the power of mobile networks to verify real customers and spot fraudulent activity. The second is the GSMA-led Asia Pacific Cross-Sector Anti-Scam Taskforce (ACAST), launched earlier this year to unite mobile network operators and digital platforms across 16 countries in a collaborative fight against scams through intelligence sharing, public awareness and technical innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The GSMA calls for coordinated, cross-sector action combining regulatory leadership, robust cyber-security measures and public-education campaigns to stem rising fraud, expand secure connectivity and safeguard consumer confidence, the bedrock of ASEAN\u2019s digital economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Further News from GSMA\u2019s Digital Nation Kuala Lumpur Summit<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Separately, the GSMA\u2019s new case studies report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/gsma_resources\/asean-connected-industries\/\">\u201cAdvancing Connected Industries in ASEAN \u2013 APAC 5G Industry Case Study Report 2025\u201d<\/a> contributed by the GSMA APAC 5G Industry Community, spotlights four live industrial deployments that show advanced connectivity impact across the region:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Thailand\u2019s first 5G mmWave smart factory run by AIS and Alliance Laundry connects 300+ devices for real-time automation;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Telkomsel and Huawei\u2019s 5G-AI Smart Port in Indonesia cuts truck gate processing from five minutes to 10 seconds and trims backup-core hardware by 40%;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00b7 U Mobile and Huawei deliver seamless 5G-A over Malaysia\u2019s 13.5 km Penang Bridge, sustaining over 500 Mbps average speeds with zero dropped calls and up to 99% energy savings via \u201c0 Bit 0 Watt\u201d;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00b7 XLSMART\u2019s private LTE spans 20 remote Indonesian coal mines, enabling continuous emergency comms, HD CCTV and real-time fleet tracking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The GSMA also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/whats-new\/digital-nation-awards-2025-the-winners\/\">announced the winners<\/a> of the Digital Nation Awards and Women Digital Leadership Awards. The winners include AIS, Afghan Wireless, CelcomdDigi, Frame Motion Studio, Grameenphone, Honor, Singtel, Sarawak Civil Service Digitalisation Unit, The Department of The Premier of Sarawak and U Mobile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nearly ten percent of ASEAN consumers fell victim to scams last year, with 84% of respondents worried scams are on the increase 24 September 2025, Kuala Lumpur: Digital scams are an escalating concern for consumers across Southeast Asia, with nearly one in ten consumers (8%) in the region scammed in the last year, a new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":24041,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"algolia_discover_type":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.0 (Yoast SEO v22.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Consumer Trust in Southeast Asia Falters as Cyber Scam Concerns Grow, New GSMA Commissioned Report Warns - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Consumer Trust in Southeast Asia Falters as Cyber Scam Concerns Grow, New GSMA Commissioned Report Warns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nearly ten percent of ASEAN consumers fell victim to scams last year, with 84% of respondents worried scams are on the increase 24 September 2025, Kuala Lumpur: Digital scams are an escalating concern for consumers across Southeast Asia, with nearly one in ten consumers (8%) in the region scammed in the last year, a new [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gsma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-24T02:36:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-24T06:23:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Figure-on-the-phone-infront-of-cityscape_600x300.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shawn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GSMA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GSMA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shawn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Consumer Trust in Southeast Asia Falters as Cyber Scam Concerns Grow, New GSMA Commissioned Report Warns - Newsroom","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Consumer Trust in Southeast Asia Falters as Cyber Scam Concerns Grow, New GSMA Commissioned Report Warns","og_description":"Nearly ten percent of ASEAN consumers fell victim to scams last year, with 84% of respondents worried scams are on the increase 24 September 2025, Kuala Lumpur: Digital scams are an escalating concern for consumers across Southeast Asia, with nearly one in ten consumers (8%) in the region scammed in the last year, a new [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/","og_site_name":"Newsroom","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gsma\/","article_published_time":"2025-09-24T02:36:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-24T06:23:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Figure-on-the-phone-infront-of-cityscape_600x300.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Shawn","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@GSMA","twitter_site":"@GSMA","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Shawn","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/"},"author":{"name":"Shawn","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/7483f30bcf3069ec5ed6b79a9eb6c460"},"headline":"Consumer Trust in Southeast Asia Falters as Cyber Scam Concerns Grow, New GSMA Commissioned Report Warns","datePublished":"2025-09-24T02:36:05+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-24T06:23:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/"},"wordCount":859,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Figure-on-the-phone-infront-of-cityscape_600x300.png","articleSection":["Press Release"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/","name":"Consumer Trust in Southeast Asia Falters as Cyber Scam Concerns Grow, New GSMA Commissioned Report Warns - Newsroom","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Figure-on-the-phone-infront-of-cityscape_600x300.png","datePublished":"2025-09-24T02:36:05+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-24T06:23:22+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Figure-on-the-phone-infront-of-cityscape_600x300.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Figure-on-the-phone-infront-of-cityscape_600x300.png","width":600,"height":300,"caption":"A double exposure image shows a person speaking on a phone overlaid with a brightly lit city skyline at night, filled with countless sparkling lights and tall buildings under a dark sky. The person\u2019s silhouette blends into the urban landscape."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/consumer-trust-in-southeast-asia-falters-as-cyber-scam-concerns-grow-new-gsma-commissioned-report-warns\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Consumer Trust in Southeast Asia Falters as Cyber Scam Concerns Grow, New GSMA Commissioned Report Warns"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/","name":"Newsroom","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#organization","name":"GSMA","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/GSMA_logo_colour_web.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/GSMA_logo_colour_web.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"GSMA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gsma\/","https:\/\/x.com\/GSMA","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gsmaonline\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/12380","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/GSMAOnline"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/7483f30bcf3069ec5ed6b79a9eb6c460","name":"Shawn","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/"]}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Figure-on-the-phone-infront-of-cityscape_600x300.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Figure-on-the-phone-infront-of-cityscape_600x300.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24031"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24031"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24037,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24031\/revisions\/24037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24031"},{"taxonomy":"algolia_discover_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/algolia_discover_type?post=24031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}