Criminal networks in S-E Asia flourish through Telegram: UN report

BANGKOK - Powerful criminal networks in South-east Asia extensively use the messaging app Telegram, which has enabled a fundamental change in the way organised crime can conduct large-scale illicit activity, said the United Nations in a report on Oct 7.

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The report represents the latest allegations to be levied against the controversial encrypted app since France, using a tough new law with no international equivalent, charged its boss Pavel Durov with allowing criminal activity on the platform.

Hacked data, including credit card details, passwords and browser history, is openly traded on a vast scale on the app, which has sprawling channels with little moderation, said the report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Tools used for cybercrime, including so-called deepfake software designed for fraud, and datastealing malware are also widely sold, while unlicensed cryptocurrency exchanges offer money laundering services, according to the report.

"We move three million USDT stolen from overseas per day," the report quoted one ad as saying in Chinese. USDT is the stablecoin issued by Tether Holdings.