A United Nations report on Monday, October 7, 2024, claimed that Southeast Asian criminal gangs extensively use Telegram for organised crimes and illegal activities.
According to Reuters, the UN in a report revealed that powerful criminal networks in Southeast Asia use the messaging app for illicit activities. These are the latest allegations against the app since France has charged the app owner Pavel Durov for allowing criminals to use the app for criminal activities.
As per the report by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the unmonitored app allowed criminals to openly trade hacked data, which included browser history, credit card details, and passwords of the people.
Moreover, the app also facilitates criminals to sell tools of cybercrime like data-stealing malware and deep fake software for fraud. The unlicensed cryptocurrency exchange contributed to the money laundering services.
The report said, “There is strong evidence of underground data markets moving to Telegram and vendors actively looking to target transnational organised crime groups based in Southeast Asia.”
Furthermore, as per UNODC, Southeast Asia has become a hub of global scams that target people all around the world with their fraudulent schemes. One of the major actors in this multibillion-dollar industry is Chinese syndicates that generate between $27.4 billion to $36.5 billion every year through the trafficking of workers.
