United

TRON

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has released a new report on cybercrime in Southeast Asia. This is the agency’s second report on the topic.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The UNODC published its first report on Southeast Asia in January and&nbsp;<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/tether-challenges-report-illicit-activity-usdt" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">criticized Tether’s role</a>&nbsp;in the region’s economy.
The new report continues to track the “convergence of cyber-enabled fraud, underground banking, and transnational organized crime.” Tether is mentioned, but this time Telegram (<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/toncoin-price-index" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_self" text="null" title="https://cointelegraph.com/toncoin-price-index">TON</a>) receives much more unfavorable attention.
<h2 id="the-illicit-service-economy">The illicit service economy</h2>
Cyber-enabled fraud continues to grow in Southeast Asia and caused losses of between $18 billion and $37 billion in 2023, and most of those losses were due to organized crime, the report&nbsp;<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.unodc.org/roseap/uploads/documents/Publications/2024/TOC_Convergence_Report_2024.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">said</a>. This huge scale implies the professionalization of activities:
<blockquote>
 “Criminals are no longer required to handle their own money laundering, coding malware, or stealing sensitive personal information […] Instead, these key components can be purchased from service providers in underground markets and forums, often at very accessible prices.”&nbsp;
</blockquote>
Furthermore, “There is strong evidence of underground data markets moving to Telegram,” the report continued. Those markets include underground cloud of logs services that help bad actors access confidential information, infostealers,&nbsp;<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/styx-stealer-malware-targets-cryptocurrency" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">crypto clippers and drainers</a>, deepfakes and more.
<figure><img alt="UN report highlights cybercrime surge in Southeast Asia, Telegram's role" src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2024-10/01926817-3560-7ead-9b62-a804f6a35195" title="">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Source: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.unodc.org/roseap/uploads/documents/Publications/2024/TOC_Convergence_Report_2024.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank" text="null" title="https://www.unodc.org/roseap/uploads/documents/Publications/2024/TOC_Convergence_Report_2024.pdf">UNODC</a>
 </figcaption>
</figure>
The UNODC did not spare Tether (<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/tether-price-index" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">USDT</a>) and&nbsp;TRON (<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/tron-price-index" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_self" text="null" title="https://cointelegraph.com/tron-price-index">TRX</a>) in the report. It said:
<blockquote>
 “Authorities in East and Southeast Asia […] continue to report that stablecoins, and particularly Tether (USDT) on the TRON (TRX) blockchain, represent the preferred choice for Asian crime syndicates engaged in cyber-enabled fraud and money laundering operations.”&nbsp;
</blockquote>
Related:&nbsp;<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/telegram-policy-shift-privacy-concerns" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">Telegram’s policy shift raises privacy concerns</a>
<h3 id="telegram-assailed-from-all-sides">Telegram assailed from all sides</h3>
The UNODC report comes at a bad time for Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. Durov&nbsp;<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/breaking-telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-allegedly-arrested-in-france" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">was arrested in France</a>&nbsp;on Aug. 24 on charges related to activities that take place on Telegram. He&nbsp;<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-france-court" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">is currently free</a>&nbsp;on bail in that country.
<figure><img alt="UN report highlights cybercrime surge in Southeast Asia, Telegram's role" src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2024-10/01926816-0aa9-707f-93d5-e9b854202853" title="">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Source: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://x.com/WIONews/status/1843249670744924245" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank" text="null" title="https://x.com/WIONews/status/1843249670744924245">WIO News</a>
 </figcaption>
</figure>
In France, charges against Durov include complicity with illegal activities, refusal to communicate to authorities, money laundering, criminal association and providing cryptology services without prior declaration.
French prosecutors say Durov&nbsp;<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/telegram-europe-violation-durov-charges" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">faces up to 10 years</a>&nbsp;in prison and a 500,000 euros ($550,000) fine.
Magazine:&nbsp;<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/telegram-ceo-arrest-lawyers-debate-is-this-legal/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="null" text="null" title="null">Did Telegram’s Pavel Durov commit a crime? Crypto lawyers weigh in</a>
&nbsp;

UN report highlights cybercrime surge in Southeast Asia, Telegram's role

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