Telegram App Hosts ‘Underground Markets’ For Southeast Asian Crime Gangs, UN Says

A recent report from the United Nations has raised serious concerns about the use of the messaging app Telegram by organized criminal networks in Southeast Asia. The app’s encryption features and lack of moderation have facilitated large-scale illicit activities, including cybercrime, data theft, and money laundering.

The UN Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report on Monday detailing how Telegram has fundamentally transformed how organized crime operates, particularly in Southeast Asia. Criminal syndicates, including Chinese groups running billion-dollar fraudulent schemes, use Telegram’s vast, unmoderated channels to trade hacked data, including credit card details, passwords, and browser histories.

One of the most dangerous aspects of the report is the sale of tools for cybercrime. It includes deepfake software and data-stealing malware. Moreover, the report cited ads on the platform promoting services that enable large-scale financial crimes. In one scenario, a vendor advertised moving “3 million USDT stolen from overseas each day.” The report emphasized that underground data markets are increasingly shifting to Telegram, with sellers targeting transnational crime groups in Southeast Asia.

The region is a hotspot for illegal activity. The criminal organizations generate an estimated $27.4 billion to $36.5 billion annually. Many of these operations are run from heavily fortified compounds staffed by trafficked workers, highlighting both the scale and severity of these networks.

Telegram has faced growing scrutiny for its role in facilitating criminal activity. Last month, its founder, Russian-born Pavel Durov, was arrested in Paris and charged with allowing illegal activities, including the distribution of child sexual exploitation materials. Durov’s arrest has sparked widespread debate on the responsibility of app providers in regulating content and where the line between free speech and law enforcement should be drawn.

In response to his arrest, Durov announced that Telegram would begin handing over users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities upon legal request. He also pledged to remove certain features that had been exploited for illegal purposes. However, critics argue that this may not be enough to curtail the app’s widespread use for criminal activities.

The UNODC report revealed that Southeast Asia is a major hub for cyber-enabled fraud, with deepfakes and generative artificial intelligence playing a growing role in these schemes. More than 10 deepfake software providers were identified as specifically catering to criminal groups in the region. These technologies are being used for fraudulent purposes, further complicating efforts to combat organized crime.

The impact of Telegram’s use by criminals extends beyond Southeast Asia. In South Korea, police are investigating the app’s role in enabling online sex crimes, especially related to deepfake pornography.

Similarly, in India, a hacker used Telegram chatbots to leak sensitive data from a top insurer, Star Health. This data included policy documents, personal identification information, and medical records, raising serious concerns about privacy and data security.