Interpol: Cybercrime Constitutes One-Third of Recorded Crimes in Parts of Asia

Interpol has reported that illegal cyber activities now account for approximately one-third of all recorded crimes in certain Asian countries, highlighting a significant and growing concern regarding digital security across the region. The global policing agency's latest cyber threat assessment noted the increasing dominance of online crimes compared to traditional illicit activity, describing them as persistent, large-scale challenges affecting multiple jurisdictions due to rapid digital infrastructure adoption. Of the 18 Interpol member states in Asia and South Pacific that responded to a survey, more than half reported that cybercrime made up 30% of all crimes recorded nationally. Around a third reported more than 10,000 cases of online scams using techniques such as phishing. Neal Jetton, who oversees the Cybercrime Directorate at Interpol in Singapore, stated that cybercriminals are leveraging artificial intelligence, ransomware-as-a-service models, and sophisticated social engineering techniques on an industrial scale.