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

Telegram has become a hotbed for Southeast Asian criminal networks, facilitating the sale of hacked data, malware distribution, and unregulated cryptocurrency exchanges, according to a UN report exposing

The United Nations warns that criminal gangs in Southeast Asia are using Telegram to sell your data, buy malware, or obtain deepfake software.

Cyber crime syndicates raked in as much as $37 billion last year and are intensifying operations across Southeast Asia despite mounting law enforcement efforts, the United Nations said.