On February 14, 2025, the ASEANAPOL Secretariat and Mastercard Asia Pacific held a virtual meeting to explore potential collaboration opportunities, in line with paragraph 13.13 of the 43rd ASEANAPOL Joint Communique, which endorses the proposal to establish a working relationship between ASEANAPOL and Mastercard Asia Pacific.
Representing the ASEANAPOL Secretariat were Executive Director David
Martinez Vinluan and senior officers, including Pol. Snr. Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu Ngoc and Snr. Superintendent Huntal Tambunan. Mastercard Asia Pacific was represented by Mr. Rajeshpal Singh and Mr. Nanda Devi. During the meeting, Mastercard shared insights on its recent acquisition of Recorded Future, focusing on its efforts to enhance digital security and combat cybercrime, financial fraud, and scams.
The increasing prevalence of credit card fraud, exacerbated by advancements in information technology, highlighted the need for ASEANAPOL to partner with Mastercard. This collaboration would allow both parties to share valuable insights into the evolving tactics of cybercriminals and fraudsters.
Pol. Snr. Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu Ngoc provided an update on ASEANAPOL's ongoing capacity-building initiatives to combat cybercrime and financial fraud, including training sessions and site visits to Anti-Scam Centers. Mastercard expressed its commitment to supporting these efforts by offering expertise, resources, and training on anti-scam methodologies to bolster ASEANAPOL’s capabilities.
The meeting concluded with plans for a working group session on March 14, 2025, where Mastercard will present its anti-scam initiatives, along with discussions on co-authoring a white paper on real-time payment scams. Both organizations expressed a strong commitment to ongoing collaboration to address the challenges posed by cybercrime and financial fraud in the ASEAN region.
"Together We Keep This Region Safe"