Scam Ready ASEAN Resource Hub launched to build resilience against digital scams

Photo: ASEAN Foundation

The platform was unveiled during the first Scam Ready ASEAN Public-Private Partnership Dialogue in Manila.

The Resource Hub brings together a Scam Ready ASEAN curriculum, developed using global insights from internet safety experts at the Internet Society and the Global Cyber Alliance, alongside local knowledge from implementing partners. It also features Google’s Be Scam Ready educational game, which helps users recognise common scams and make safer decisions in real-life situations. In addition, it provides a directory of scam reporting hotlines and contact centres across all 11 ASEAN Member States.

The Resource Hub is part of Scam Ready ASEAN, a regional programme implemented by the ASEAN Foundation from 2025 to 2027, with $5 million in support from Google.org. The programme aims to reach three million people across the region through structured training, gamified learning, awareness campaigns, and public-private dialogues.

According to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, scams across Southeast Asia caused an estimated $23.6 billion in losses in 2024, while AI-enabled deception, instant payment systems, and borderless digital platforms are making these threats faster, more sophisticated, and harder to address.

According to Ministry of Public Security, Vietnam recorded 24,295 online fraud cases between 2020 and 2025, resulting in nearly $1.5 billion in losses. More recently, the first half of 2026 saw a 56 per cent decline in reported cases and a 38 per cent reduction in financial losses compared with the same period in 2025.

Despite these improvements, online scams remain a concern as fraudsters increasingly exploit emerging technologies, including AI-powered impersonation and deepfakes, to develop more sophisticated schemes. This evolving threat highlights the importance of sustained public education, practical digital literacy training, and closer cross-sector collaboration to help communities recognise scams and protect themselves.

Piti Srisangnam, executive director of the ASEAN Foundation, said, “Effective scam prevention depends on institutions sharing knowledge and understanding how their efforts can complement one another. This dialogue gives partners across ASEAN an opportunity to share lessons learned, identify shared priorities, and explore practical cooperation."

"We hope it will lay the groundwork for partnerships that support stronger community protection across the region, and with the launch of the Resource Hub today, that learning can continue well beyond this room.”

Since its official launch in Malaysia in April 2026, Scam Ready ASEAN has engaged 20 local implementing partners across all 11 ASEAN Member States and recruited 2,332 Master Trainers, exceeding its target of 2,000, to support training for at least 550,000 learners. It has also recruited 151 ASEAN Digital GrandPals to raise scam awareness among at least 22,000 older persons and members of their communities.

The programme has also rolled out community-led initiatives involving 23 “Scam Ready Movers” and 15 “ASEAN GAS!” content creators, alongside in-house community engagement activities and digital content. These initiatives are expected to reach at least 20,000 people by the end of the year, while the programme’s digital awareness efforts have generated more than eight million online impressions across the region.

The Metro Manila event marks the first in a series of at least nine regional and national public-private partnership dialogues planned across ASEAN.

As part of Google’s broader safety efforts, the company is expanding Be Scam Ready across Southeast Asia. Designed to help users recognise and respond to real-world scams in a risk-free environment, the initiative involves partnerships with local government agencies, industry leaders, and associations across the region to provide localised scam awareness education.

David Weller, senior director of Google Global Affairs, APAC, said, “No single organisation can defeat complex scam networks alone. Building greater digital resilience across Southeast Asia requires strong public-private cooperation, including efforts to raise public awareness."

"We’re proud to partner, through Google.org, with the ASEAN Foundation on the Scam Ready ASEAN Resource Hub. This will bring practical tools and localised scam awareness education directly to local communities across the region, helping people build resilience against common scam tactics,” he said.

Visa report shows top scams impacting consumers and businesses globally Visa released the spring 2024 edition of its Biannual Threats Report on July 24, outlining the top payment threats to consumers and businesses around the world.

Vietnam launches national campaign against online scams The Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention has launched a national campaign against online scams, aiming to strengthen public awareness about increasingly sophisticated cyber fraud schemes.

ASEAN Foundation launches plan to combat online scams The ASEAN Foundation has launched Scam Ready ASEAN, a regional initiative aimed at strengthening prevention against online scams across Southeast Asia.