A new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) may increase problems for Telegram. The report claims that the encrypted messaging app has become a key tool for powerful criminal networks in Southeast Asia where large-scale illicit activities, including trade of stolen data, cybercrime tools for deepfakes and unlicensed cryptocurrency exchanges for money laundering are taking place.
According to a report by news agency Reuters, hacked data including credit card details, passwords and browser history are openly traded on a vast scale on the app, the report said.
“We move 3 million USDT stolen from overseas per day,” the report quoted one ad as saying in Chinese.
Cybercrime syndicates are often of Chinese origin
As per the report, several cybercrime groups — often of Chinese origin — are operating from fortified compounds and exploiting trafficked workers. It says that these groups target victims worldwide with fraudulent schemes, generating an estimated annual revenue between $27.4 billion and $36.5 billion.
“For consumers, this means their data is at a higher risk of being fed into scams or other criminal activity than ever before,” warned Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC’s deputy representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
The report also underscores how criminal groups are constantly adapting and integrating new technologies into their operations. UNODC identified over 10 deepfake software providers specifically catering to criminal groups involved in cyber-enabled fraud in Southeast Asia.
This isn’t the first time Telegram has faced scrutiny for its role in facilitating illegal activities.
Recently, in India, a hacker is reported to have exploited Telegram chatbots to leak sensitive data from a major insurance company.
A legal action against Telegram and its founder, Pavel Durov, was taken in France. He was charged with allowing criminal activity on the platform, including the spread of child sexual abuse material. Similarly, South Korean police are reportedly investigating the platform’s potential involvement in online sex crimes.