ASEAN countries discuss digital fraud prevention in Bangkok

Countries within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have signed a declaration pledging to boost collaboration on preventing online scams, regional investment into emerging technologies such as AI and the free flow of data within the region.
The Bangkok Digital Declaration was approved last week at the 5th ASEAN Digital Ministerial Meeting (ADGMIN-5) in Bangkok, Thailand.
Cyber scams such as phone scams and social media-based financial fraud have become an increasing problem in the region with news reports documenting criminal organizations in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos forcing illegally trafficked people to work as scammers. According to estimates from the U.S. Institute of Peace, funds stolen by criminal syndicates based in Mekong countries likely exceed US$43.8 billion a year.
Last year, ASEAN countries established the ASEAN Regional Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) in Singapore dedicated to sharing information related to cyber incidents. The ASEAN Norms Implementation Checklist could serve as a reference for regional efforts to build cyber resilience, the delegates concluded in Bangkok.
The digital ministers also backed the development of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement for cooperation in cybersecurity and online scam prevention and approved the Global CBPR Action Plan and AI governance document which promotes responsible AI development in the region.
Key partners such as China, Japan, South Korea, India, the U.S. and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) also participated in the Bangkok Digital Declaration negotiations.
Indonesia discusses banning social media for children
Aside from boosting collaboration on cybersecurity, the Bangkok Declaration pledges to foster digital innovation by encouraging regional investment in research and development and ensuring inclusive digital infrastructure.
“Indonesia fully supports the measures in the Bangkok Digital Declaration which are in line with our vision to strengthen digital inclusion and encourage technological innovation,” Indonesian Communication and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said during the meeting last Thursday.
During the meetings in Bangkok, the Minister met with other ministers to discuss child protection policies in the digital world, Radio Indonesia Republik reports. Similar to Australia, the Indonesian government is planning to set a minimum age for social media users, initiating discussions last week on a dedicated law for protecting children online.
Malaysia highlights digital ID in the fight against online scams
Malaysia alone has lost US$700 million to online scams involving more than 95,800 victims between 2021 and April 2024, according to the country’s Ministry of Digital. Interoperable digital IDs are critical for ASEAN because of verification processes, TS Wong, Group Managing Director of Malaysia’s e-government service provider MyEG.
Wong spoke about the role of digital IDs in fighting cybercrime during the ADGMIN-5 in Bangkok last week.
“Many countries participating in the forum, including China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, have or are in the process of issuing National Digital IDs,” says Wong. “If countries recognize and enable localized verification of each other’s digital IDs in real-time, it becomes possible to accurately identify online users regardless of how realistic deepfake videos may appear.”
MyEG has developed a blockchain platform called Zetrix. Its ZCert is the first verifiable credentials platform that allows Chinese nationals to prove their identities digitally overseas in collaboration with China’s national blockchain Xinghuo BIF.
Malaysia will assume the ASEAN chairmanship in 2025.
Meanwhile, the country is currently also hosting the Asia International Security Summit and Expo 2025 (AISSE25). During the event, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called for establishing a national blockchain-based identity verification system that would safeguard online transactions and mitigate identity fraud, The Edge Malaysia reports.
Zahdi also backed the creation of a cybercrime task force for ASEAN similar to Interpol. Cybercriminals are using AI, automation and the dark web to launch sophisticated attacks and the rapid expansion of the digital economy demands adaptive security frameworks, he says.
“I urge all stakeholders — governments, law enforcement agencies, and industry leaders — to take concrete action in certain key areas,” the Minister says. “First we must implement AI-driven predictive policing and real-time urban surveillance to detect and prevent security threats proactively.”
Robust security measures must be balanced with respect for civil liberties to maintain a just and equitable global security framework, he adds.
Vietnam urges regulating services, warns banks to adopt biometrics
Vietnam’s contribution to the ADGMIN-5 was advocating for the adoption of open technologies such as 5G Open RAN and open-source AI. Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Manh Hung He also stressed that service providers and digital platforms need to be regulated while citizens should develop digital skills to combat online fraud.
One of the regulations that the country has introduced is mandatory biometric authentication across the banking sector, introduced last year to combat fraud. Over 84.7 million accounts have been verified with biometric data, according to the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). But not all banks are complying with the mandate.
While domestic banks have introduced the new biometric rule, some foreign banks such as Hong Kong’s HSBC and Singaporean UOB are yet to comply even though the January 1st deadline has passed.
The reason behind the tardiness is that many foreign banks have multiple layers of security, lowering cases of fraud, Vietnam Investment View reports. This, however, may not save banks from administrative fines.
“If foreign banks fail to meet the verification requirement, they must suspend their services for customers until they comply with the SBV’s regulations,” says Pham Anh Tuan, director of the Payment Department at SBV.
HSBC Vietnam responded that they are taking the necessary steps to implement biometric verification as required while maintaining stability and security for online banking transactions.
Banks will also have to start collecting biometric data from corporate clients in order to reduce the risk of fraud and money laundering. According to a notice from Vietcombank, an organization’s legal representative will be required to update their biometric information by July 1st, 2025.
“After this period, if the client fails to update, Vietcombank will suspend the transfer and withdrawal services on the client’s electronic banking account,” the bank says.
Article Topics
ASEAN | biometric authentication | biometrics | cybersecurity | digital ID | digital identity | fraud prevention | Indonesia | Malaysia | Vietnam
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