YouTube Blames ‘Southeast Asia’ Scammers for Purging Over 7 Million Accounts
YouTube terminated over 7 million channels in the third quarter of 2025, attributing the sharp increase to financial scams originating from Southeast Asia.
Here’s the TL;DR...
YouTube removed 7,456,811 channels between July and September 2025.
The platform links most terminations to spam and deceptive practices, mainly financial scams.
Total channel removals for the first nine months of 2025 exceed 12 million.
Creators report innocent channels getting caught in automated moderation.
Popular YouTuber MoistCr1TiKaL blasted AI bans, spotlighting a Pokemon creator’s wrongful termination.
What triggered YouTube’s massive channel purge in Q3 2025?
The latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report shows 7,456,811 channels terminated in July through September 2025. Of those, 6,914,112 fell under spam, deceptive practices, and scams. TeamYouTube stated the rise stems from attempted financial scams aiming to direct users to fraudulent sites.
Creators like niall highlighted the scale on X, noting terminations happened nearly every second during the period. YouTube clarified that one scammy account often controls hundreds of channels.
How do financial scams from Southeast Asia exploit YouTube?
Scammers in regions like Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos run organized operations, including “pig butchering” schemes where victims are lured into fake crypto investments. These groups create spam channels to promote fraudulent content and direct traffic to scam sites. A 2025 report notes scams erode digital trust across Southeast Asia, affecting millions.
U.S. authorities seized domains linked to these operations in December 2025, targeting compounds defrauding Americans. Losses from such scams hit $10 billion in 2024, with a 66% increase. YouTube’s moderation targets these channels to curb the spread.
Has YouTube conducted similar large-scale terminations in the past?
YouTube’s history includes major purges. In Q4 2023, the platform terminated 20.5 million channels, far exceeding 2025’s Q3 figure. Earlier in 2025, Q1 saw 2,897,659 removals, and Q2 had 2,105,778.
The company uses a mix of automated systems and human reviews, with no recent large changes. Past actions include removing 34,000 channels linked to foreign propaganda in 2025. Spikes often tie to emerging threats like misinformation or scams.
Are innocent creators getting swept up in YouTube’s enforcement?
Several creators claim unfair terminations. Animator Nani Josh lost his 650,000-subscriber channel for alleged spam, but insists it held no violating content. YouTube confirmed the ban after human review.
Pokemon creator SplashPlate faced termination on December 9, 2025, when AI mistook his watermarked video for a reupload from a banned thief’s channel. His appeals failed initially, but viral support led to reinstatement the next day.
MoistCr1TiKaL spotlighted the case in a video, blasting AI as judge, jury, and executioner: “You punished the real person, not the imposter.” He called CEO Neal Mohan “delusional” for praising the tools.
What does this mean for YouTube’s future moderation efforts?
CEO Neal Mohan defends AI’s role, stating it improves precision at scale. Yet, backlash persists amid reports of overreach. The platform continues quarterly reporting to track trends.
YouTube’s Q3 2025 purge underscores fights against scams, but cases like SplashPlate‘s expose AI pitfalls that even big voices like MoistCr1TiKaL decry. Stronger human oversight could balance scale with fairness, preserving trust for creators and viewers as moderation evolves.
Hat Tips
DanielTChirwa on X (December 11, 2025)
Dexerto: “YouTube responds to AI concerns as 12 million channels terminated in 2025” (December 11, 2025)
Dexerto: “MoistCr1TiKaL blasts “delusional” YouTube CEO for letting AI ban channels” (December 10, 2025)
Dexerto: “Pokemon YouTuber banned by AI finally gets channel back after creator stole his video” (December 10, 2025)
Google Transparency Report: YouTube Community Guidelines enforcement
Global Anti-Scam Alliance: “Insights from the Southeast Asia State of Scams Report 2025” (December 5, 2025)
The Guardian: “Age of the ‘scam state’: how an illicit, multibillion-dollar industry has taken root in south-east Asia” (December 2, 2025)
U.S. Department of Justice: “Scam Center Strike Force Announces Seizure of Fake Cryptocurrency Investment Domain Used to Defraud Americans” (December 2, 2025)
Search Engine Journal: “YouTube AI Enforcement Questioned As Channels Get Restored” (December 9, 2025)
Fox Business: “YouTube removes approximately 34k channels linked to foreign propaganda campaigns in 2025” (July 21, 2025)
The Block: “OFAC sanctions entities tied to crypto scams in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos” (September 9, 2025)
Article Compiled and Edited by Derek Gibbs on December 11, 2025 for Clownfish TV D/REZZED.