Nearly Half of Reported Scam Incidents Go Unresolved Across Southeast Asia, Undermining Digital Trust, New GSMA Findings Reveal

Two new GSMA reports launched at today's M360 ASEAN Digital Trust Summit highlight digital trust as a critical enabler of ASEAN's digital ambitions and call for coordinated action to strengthen confidence in digital interactions

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) accelerates its digital economy, AI and digital government ambitions, digital trust is becoming a critical factor in whether citizens, businesses and governments can confidently embrace digital services. Two new GSMA reports launched today at the Digital Trust Summit at M360 ASEAN warn that online scams, fraud and digital deception are increasingly challenging that trust and could undermine progress towards broader digital ambitions.

The first report, the GSMA ASEAN Consumer Scam Report 2026, found that nearly half (45%) of reported scam cases across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam remain unresolved despite consumers taking more steps to protect themselves. Consumers with unresolved cases report lower levels of trust in communications channels, digital platforms and data sharing, while many have changed how they engage with digital services and inbound communications.

The report also found that nearly one in ten (8%) consumers surveyed reported being scammed in the previous 12 months. Among scam victims, 68% lost money and, of those, 82% recovered none of their losses. Only 10% recovered all losses. Consumers who have experienced scams are more than twice as likely to switch accounts or service providers than those who have not been affected.

The second report, Digital Nations 2026: Building Trusted Digital Ecosystems in ASEAN, argues that trust has become a strategic enabler of ASEAN's digital future. As countries across the region advance digital economy strategies, AI adoption, digital government programmes and cross-border digital integration, the report highlights that confidence in digital infrastructure, services and institutions increasingly determines whether digitalisation translates into adoption, innovation, investment and socioeconomic impact.

Importantly, the report concludes that deeper regional collaboration can amplify the impact of national initiatives, helping countries learn from one another, strengthen resilience and build greater confidence in ASEAN's digital transformation.

M360 ASEAN continues tomorrow (Thursday 10th September) with leaders from government, mobile operators, technology companies and the broader digital ecosystem discussing how ASEAN can move from digital ambition to trusted implementation.

Register here.

Read full press release here.