The ASEAN Foundation, with support from Google.org, has on Tuesday launched the Scam Ready ASEAN Resource Hub (ScamReadyASEAN.org), a free digital learning platform designed to equip communities across Southeast Asia with practical knowledge and tools to recognize and prevent online scams.
Unveiled during the first Scam Ready ASEAN Public-Private Partnership Dialogue in Manila, the Resource Hub brings together a Scam Ready ASEAN curriculum, developed using global insights from internet safety experts at the Internet Society (ISOC) and the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA), alongside local knowledge from local implementing partners, the parties said in a statement.
The platform features Google’s Be Scam Ready educational scam awareness game to help users recognize common scams and make safer decisions in real life.
It also provides a directory of scam reporting hotlines and contact centers across all 11 ASEAN Member States.
The Resource Hub is part of Scam Ready ASEAN, a regional program implemented by the ASEAN Foundation from 2025 to 2027 with $5 million in support from Google.org.
The program aims to reach 3 million people across the region through structured training, gamified learning, awareness campaigns, and public-private dialogues.
According to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), scams across Southeast Asia caused an estimated $23.6 billion in losses in 2024, while artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled deception, instant payment systems, and borderless digital platforms are making these threats faster, more sophisticated, and harder to address.
The State of Scams Philippines 2026 Report found that 84 percent of Filipino adults encountered a scam attempt in the past year, up from 77 percent in 2025.
While 58 percent of Filipino adults said they were confident in recognizing scams, 60 percent of those who encountered one still interacted with a scammer, and only 4 percent of respondents reported the incident to authorities.
The findings point to a continued gap between awareness and real-world resilience.
“Effective scam prevention depends on institutions sharing knowledge and understanding how their efforts can complement one another. This dialogue gives partners across ASEAN an opportunity to share lessons learned, identify shared priorities, and explore practical cooperation,
“We hope it will lay the groundwork for partnerships that support stronger community protection across the region, and with the launch of the Resource Hub today, that learning can continue well beyond this room,” said Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation.
Since its official launch in Malaysia in April 2026, Scam Ready ASEAN has engaged 20 LIPs across all 11 ASEAN Member States and recruited 2,332 Master Trainers, exceeding its target of 2,000, to support training for at least 550,000 learners.
It has also recruited 151 ASEAN Digital GrandPals to raise scam awareness among at least 22,000 older persons and their communities.
The program has also rolled out community-led initiatives involving 23 “Scam Ready Movers” and 15 “ASEAN GAS!” content creators, alongside in-house community engagement and digital content.
These activities are expected to reach at least 20,000 people by the end of the year, while the programme’s digital awareness efforts have generated more than 8 million online impressions across the region.
The Metro Manila event marks the first in a series of at least nine regional and national public-private partnership dialogues planned across ASEAN.
As part of Google’s broader safety efforts, Google is expanding Be Scam Ready across Southeast Asia.
Designed to help users recognise and respond to real-world scams in a risk-free environment, Google is partnering with local government agencies, industry leaders, and associations across the region to provide localized scam awareness education.
On the second day, ASEAN sectoral bodies and the programme’s LIPs will discuss implementation challenges and collaboration opportunities, as well as alignment in programme delivery.
“No single organization can defeat complex scam networks alone. Building greater digital resilience across Southeast Asia requires strong public-private cooperation, including to help raise public awareness. We’re proud to partner, through Google.org, with the ASEAN Foundation on the Scam Ready ASEAN Resource Hub,
“This will bring practical tools and localized scam awareness education directly to local communities across the region, to help people build resilience against common scam tactics,” said David Weller, Senior Director, Google Global Affairs, APAC.
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