CAMBODIA SAYS IT WILL NOT BECOME A HAVEN FOR ONLINE SCAM SYNDICATES

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has declared that his country will not serve as a safe haven for online scam operations, as Cambodia hosted an international conference focused on combating cyber fraud. Speaking at the opening of the two-day conference in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, Hun Manet said the government was committed to dismantling criminal networks involved in online scams and preventing them from rebuilding their operations.

The Prime Minister said Cambodia had adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards online fraud and described the fight against scam networks as a continuing national security responsibility. He said authorities had dismantled large-scale scam compounds through a government-wide campaign and insisted that the crackdown was aimed at permanently removing criminal networks rather than serving as a public relations exercise. Hun Manet also called for greater international cooperation because the criminal groups operate across national borders.

Cambodia has faced international criticism in recent years over the growth of large scam compounds within its territory, where criminal groups have targeted victims through romance fraud, cryptocurrency investment schemes, impersonation scams and other forms of cyber-enabled crime. Some people working in the compounds have also reportedly been trafficked and forced to participate in fraudulent activities. Cambodian authorities said they had inspected 832 suspected locations and carried out operations at 663 of them, including 86 major compounds that have been taken over for legal proceedings.

According to Cambodia's Ad-Hoc Commission for Combating Online Scams, authorities froze more than $300 million in bank accounts linked to online scam activities between July 2025 and August 31, 2026. The commission said 446 cases involving 3,927 suspects had been sent to court during the period, while action had also been taken against officials accused of involvement in scam activities. The cases reportedly included police and military personnel as well as officials from other government institutions.

International partners welcomed Cambodia's efforts but said more action was still required to fully dismantle the networks. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime called for stronger cooperation at national, regional and international levels, while China's Vice Minister of Public Security, Yang Weilin, said no country could tackle the problem alone. The United States has estimated that transnational criminal organisations operating in Southeast Asia defrauded Americans of at least $18.2 billion through cyber-enabled scams in 2025, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing authorities across the region.