ASEAN Foundation expands anti-scam push with free digital learning hub

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ASEAN anti-scam digital hub

Highlights

ASEAN Foundation launches the Scam Ready ASEAN Resource Hub, a free digital learning platform supported by $5 million from Google.org, running 2025–2027 across all 11 ASEAN Member States.
Fraud causes $23.6 billion in losses in Southeast Asia for 2024, with 84% of Filipino adults reporting scam attempts in the past year and only 4% reporting incidents to authorities.
Since Malaysia's April 2026 launch, Scam Ready ASEAN has recruited 2,332 master trainers and aims to reach at least 550,000 learners and 22,000 older people regionally.

Regional platform rollout and training scope

As reported by BusinessWorld Online, the ASEAN Foundation launches the Scam Ready ASEAN Resource Hub, a free digital learning platform unveiled on Tuesday in Manila during the first Scam Ready ASEAN Public-Private Partnership Dialogue.

The platform is part of the Scam Ready ASEAN program, which runs from 2025 to 2027 with $5 million in support from Google.org. It offers online courses, interactive scam simulations and information on official scam reporting hotlines and contact centers across all 11 ASEAN Member States.

The learning content is built with input from internet safety experts at the Internet Society and Global Cyber Alliance, together with local implementing partners. Its modules cover understanding scams, identifying fraudulent activity, preventing fraud, responding to and reporting incidents, and supporting other potential victims.

The hub also includes Google’s Be Scam Ready educational game, which uses simulated WhatsApp and SMS-style exchanges to help users spot suspicious messages and make safer decisions. ASEAN Foundation Executive Director Dr. Piti Srisangnam says the gamified approach draws on inoculation theory, which aims to help users recognize deceptive tactics before they face actual scams.

The platform includes learning tracks for young people aged 15 to 35, working adults, caregivers and educators aged 36 to 55, senior citizens aged 56 and above, and community-based master trainers. A separate resource repository provides presentation materials, workshop guides and offline facilitation tools, with learning materials available in localized ASEAN languages.

Fraud losses rise as regional outreach grows

Online scams continue to impose heavy financial costs across Southeast Asia. The Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimates that fraud in the region causes $23.6 billion in losses in 2024, while AI-enabled deception, instant payment systems and cross-border digital platforms make scams harder to detect.

In the Philippines, 84% of adults encounter a scam attempt in the past year, up from 77% in 2025, according to the State of Scams Philippines 2026 Report. Despite 58% of Filipino adults saying they are confident they can recognize scams, 60% of those who encounter one still interact with a scammer, and only 4% report the incident to authorities.

Dr. Srisangnam says current scam operations are sophisticated enough to trap even highly educated professionals, and adds that the initiative also seeks to reduce the stigma that discourages victims from asking for help. The platform therefore includes practical guidance on where and how to report scams in all 11 ASEAN countries.

Since its official launch in Malaysia in April 2026, Scam Ready ASEAN has engaged 20 local implementing partners across the region and recruited 2,332 master trainers, above its initial target of 2,000. Those trainers are set to support educational sessions for at least 550,000 learners, while 151 ASEAN Digital GrandPals are expected to raise awareness among at least 22,000 older people and their communities.

Other community efforts include 23 Scam Ready Movers and 15 ASEAN GAS! content creators. Together with broader engagement and digital content campaigns, these initiatives are expected to reach at least 20,000 people by year-end, while online awareness efforts have already generated more than 8 million impressions across the region.

The foundation says it is working with local partners to keep the platform useful beyond the program’s funding period. In the Philippines, it works with the Bank Marketing Association of the Philippines to help develop learning modules and distribute scam prevention resources to bank customers.

The Manila dialogue is the first of at least nine regional and national public-private partnership discussions planned across ASEAN. The talks are intended to bring together government agencies, technology companies, financial institutions and civil society groups to develop policy recommendations and strengthen regional coordination against online fraud.

Earlier, we reported that SEON is expanding in the Philippines via Exist Software Labs to sell fraud-prevention tools to banks and remittance firms.

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