INTERPOL Warns Phishing, Ransomware, and AI Scams Are Rising Across Asia-Pacific

A new report from INTERPOL has revealed a "dramatic increase" in cybercrime in Asia and the South Pacific, fueled by rapid digitalization, internet penetration, new technologies, organized criminal networks, and a disparity in cybersecurity maturity. According to INTERPOL's 2025/2026 Asia and South Pacific Cyberthreat Assessment Report, phishing has emerged as the most widespread and

According to INTERPOL's 2025/2026 Asia and South Pacific Cyberthreat Assessment, cybercrime in the region has surged, with phishing, ransomware, and AI-enabled scams (including deepfakes and industrial-scale fraud) becoming major threats.[1][2] The report notes that online scams and phishing are the most critical regional cyber threat by volume, while threat actors increasingly use AI to enhance social engineering, automate attacks, and scale financial fraud.[1][2] From a CyberSE.AI perspective, this reflects a high risk of malicious AI use both by criminals (e.g., AI-generated lures, deepfake-enabled fraud) and in attacks against AI-enabled defenses or business workflows. Organizations in the region should prioritize AI-focused security governance and continuous red teaming of both their AI systems and human-facing processes to detect and mitigate AI-augmented phishing, ransomware delivery, and fraud campaigns.