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Deep & Emerging Tech·October 12, 2026·1 min read

AI is supercharging a ~$442B scam economy that is bigger than the global cocaine trade, as the Chinese scam industry spreads beyond Asia's fortified compounds

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A ~$442B AI-boosted scam economy larger than the cocaine trade means fraud is now an industrialized, cross-border business with cheap synthetic personas and content. Consumer-facing operators should treat scam prevention as a core product feature — not a compliance afterthought — and budget accordingly.