Guests at anti-scam summit duped by fake QR trap
More than 50 participants at the Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia in Singapore fell for a fake QR trap this week. The summit took place September 2-3 at Suntec Singapore.
Organizers used a malicious QR code that lured attendees to a phishing page to capture personal data. The test demonstrated how scammers use QR codes and how they steal information, showing how easily people can fall into phishing traps.
Jorij Abraham, managing director of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), told participants the drill proved that "even you can be scammed." He confirmed that no malware was installed and no payment data was collected during the test.
Jorij Abraham, managing director of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), told participants the drill proved that "even you can be scammed." He confirmed that no malware was installed and no payment data was collected during the test.
Criminal groups increasingly use cryptocurrency and AI to create personalized scam messages. GASA research shows global losses to online scams exceeded $1 trillion in the past year.
Officials described large-scale "scam compounds" operating in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos. These facilities exploit trafficked workers to run global fraud schemes. A U.S. State Department officials said these centers have defrauded Americans of billions of dollars.
Fraud groups use AI to mine social media data and generate deepfake voices and videos. In one case, a Hong Kong executive transferred $25 million after scammers posed as company officials using a deepfaked video call.
Singapore officials presented their enforcement responses at the summit, including AI classifiers to detect malicious websites and actions against money mules. However, they warned that criminals quickly adopt the same tools used by defenders.
Officials described large-scale "scam compounds" operating in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos. These facilities exploit trafficked workers to run global fraud schemes. A U.S. State Department officials said these centers have defrauded Americans of billions of dollars.
Fraud groups use AI to mine social media data and generate deepfake voices and videos. In one case, a Hong Kong executive transferred $25 million after scammers posed as company officials using a deepfaked video call.
Singapore officials presented their enforcement responses at the summit, including AI classifiers to detect malicious websites and actions against money mules. However, they warned that criminals quickly adopt the same tools used by defenders.
“While we talk of what tech can do to combat fraud and scams, I’m sure the scamsters are meeting in some sort of forum on the dark web, having similar discussions and using the same tech that we believe is going to help us. It’s pervasive,”said Rajat Maheshwari, a Mastercard executive and head of Gasa’s Singapore chapter.
Social media platforms faced criticism for enabling scam distribution. A regional policy director at Meta Rafael Frankel called Southeast Asia "ground zero" for sophisticated scams. The company said it works with law enforcement to disrupt cross-border networks.
A payments industry executive described the fight against scams as "pervasive," highlighting the ongoing battle between criminals and defenders. The Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia brings together governments, platforms, banks and cybersecurity companies annually to coordinate responses and share threat intelligence.
A payments industry executive described the fight against scams as "pervasive," highlighting the ongoing battle between criminals and defenders. The Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia brings together governments, platforms, banks and cybersecurity companies annually to coordinate responses and share threat intelligence.
