Group-IB Warns of Rising Sophisticated Crypto and Forex Scams in Asia
According to a report from Group-IB’s High-Tech Crime Investigation team, organised cross-border groups are targeting victims via social media and messaging apps.
By Abigail Welch · 1 November 2025
Cybersecurity firm Group-IB has reported a sharp increase in advanced investment scams across Asia, with criminals posing as cryptocurrency and forex trading platforms to defraud unsuspecting users.
According to a report from Group-IB’s High-Tech Crime Investigation team, organised cross-border groups are targeting victims via social media and messaging apps. They employ convincing trading interfaces and sophisticated backend systems to extract funds.
The research outlines two analytical frameworks — the Victim Manipulation Flow and the Multi-Actor Fraud Network — to illustrate how scammers build trust, manage payments, and launder stolen assets. Investigators observed that many fraudulent platforms share technical similarities, such as reused SSL certificates and identical chatbot systems.
Group-IB also highlighted the growing use of AI-driven onboarding chatbots, which automatically screen victims and provide payment instructions. The firm urges banks, regulators, and cybersecurity teams to monitor reused infrastructure and strengthen KYC procedures, stressing that tracing shared technical evidence is essential to disrupting these global fraud networks.
