ASEAN Foundation launches free digital hub to combat rising online scams
The ASEAN Foundation has launched a free digital learning platform, ScamReadyASEAN.org, targeting over 3 million people across Southeast Asia to combat rising online scams, including AI-enabled fraud. The platform offers courses, interactive simulations, and reporting resources, backed by $5 million
The ASEAN Foundation has launched a free digital learning platform targeting more than 3 million people across Southeast Asia as online scams, including artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled fraud, continue to threaten consumers and digital transactions in the region.
The Scam Ready ASEAN Resource Hub (ScamReadyASEAN.org), unveiled on Tuesday during the first Scam Ready ASEAN Public-Private Partnership Dialogue in Manila, offers free online courses, interactive scam simulations, and access to official scam reporting hotlines and contact centres across all 11 ASEAN Member States.
The platform is part of the Scam Ready ASEAN regional programme, which runs from 2025 to 2027 with US$5 million in support from Google.org. It aims to improve digital literacy and strengthen communities’ ability to identify, prevent, and report online fraud through training, awareness campaigns and public-private partnerships.
The Resource Hub features a curriculum developed using insights from internet safety experts at the Internet Society and Global Cyber Alliance, alongside knowledge from local implementing partners. Its learning modules follow five key areas: understanding scams, identifying fraudulent activities, preventing fraud, responding to and reporting incidents and supporting others. It also incorporates Google’s Be Scam Ready educational game, which uses interactive simulations of common messaging scenarios, including WhatsApp and SMS exchanges, to help users recognise suspicious communications and practice making safer decisions.
ASEAN Foundation Executive Director Dr. Piti Srisangnam said the gamified approach draws on the psychological theory of inoculation, which seeks to help people develop the ability to recognise and resist deceptive tactics before encountering actual scams. "We do not simply tell people about scam tactics. We try to build a psychological wall, almost like an immune system, that encourages people to pause and check before responding," he said.
The launch comes as online fraud continues to generate substantial financial losses across Southeast Asia. The Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimated that scams in the region caused US$23.6 billion in losses in 2024, with AI-enabled deception, instant payment systems and cross-border digital platforms making fraudulent activities increasingly sophisticated. In the Philippines, 84 per cent of adults encountered a scam attempt in the past year, up from 77 per cent in 2025, according to the State of Scams Philippines 2026 Report. Despite 58 per cent of Filipino adults expressing confidence in their ability to recognise scams, 60 per cent of those who encountered one still interacted with a scammer, while only 4 per cent reported the incident to authorities.
Since its official launch in Malaysia in April 2026, Scam Ready ASEAN has engaged 20 local implementing partners across the 11 ASEAN Member States and recruited 2,332 master trainers, surpassing its initial target of 2,000. These trainers will support educational sessions for at least 550,000 learners. The programme has also recruited 151 ASEAN Digital GrandPals to raise scam awareness among at least 22,000 older people and their communities. Mr. Srisangnam said the Foundation is working with local implementing partners to ensure the platform remains useful beyond the programme’s funding period. "Even when the project ends in 2027, the curriculum and the Scam Ready ASEAN e-learning platform will remain available. Our partners can continue using these resources to reach more people," he said.
