Rising cyberscam losses expose gaps in EU response
A new study reveals that 75% of European adults encountered a scam in the past year, with total losses estimated at €50 billion. Experts say the European Union lags behind the US and China in tackling the threat.
Scope of scams and victims
According to a study by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), which surveyed around 22,200 people across 15 European countries, 75% of adults encountered a scam in the past year. Although 71% of respondents felt confident in recognizing scams, 8% of those exposed interacted with scammers. 16% of parents said their children had been approached. Among those who interacted, 22% suffered financial or data loss. The average loss was $2,735, with highest average losses in Switzerland, Denmark, and Belgium. In Germany, scam losses were estimated at €10.6 billion. Only 39% of victims reported the incident to authorities, and of those, 35% were reimbursed.
Gaps in EU response
The report notes that scam avoidance is largely driven by habits, not intervention. Half of victims only realize they have been scammed after external intervention or losing money. Compared to the US, which has sanctioned Cambodian conglomerates and filed a $15 billion forfeiture action in bitcoin, the EU has been far less active. The EU has imposed sanctions on Southeast Asian entities over cyberscamming only once—in October 2024 against three individuals linked to the Thit Linn Myaing Group in Myanmar.
Recent steps and future plans
In April 2025, the EU co-organized the ASEAN Regional Seminar on Online Scams Fighting in Bangkok, and the joint statement from the 25th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting repeatedly referenced online scams. At the 2026 Global Fraud Summit in Vienna, EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner announced that the European Commission would present an action plan against digital fraud by summer 2026. Analysts believe this indicates a shift in Brussels' approach, treating online scams as organized crime and human trafficking, not just consumer fraud.
