In February I had written in my blog that many people see at present two basic concerns in Cambodia: illegal scam operations, and corruption. The second one is recently in the media almost every day – and even several times on the some day. I will just quote many examples from the media:

• 10 foreigners arrested in Phnom Penh scam crackdown
• 15 arrested in Phnom Penh scam center raids
• 19 foreigners arrested in Phnom Penh scam crackdown
• 20 arrested in Phnom Penh scam center raid
• Svay Rieng casino raid nets 244 scam suspects
• 262 foreigners detained in Mondulkiri online scam crackdown
• Over 300 now confirmed arrested in scam crackdown at 5-star hotel in Phnom Penh   
• Phnom Penh authorities detained 311 people in a major raid on a suspected online scam center
• 774 sites inspected, 28 linked to online scams in Sihanoukville crackdown

And it is reported what materials necessary for scamming were found:

• During the raid, 10 desktop computers, one laptop, 61 mobile phones and two swords were seized
• During the raid, 75 desktop computers, five laptops, and 435 mobile phones were seized
• During the operation, officials seized a significant volume of equipment, including 420 desktop computers and 1,450 mobile phones
• Authorities seize 505 mobile phones, 150 desktop computers, one laptop, a monitor, and four vehicles
• The items include 615 mobile phones, 140 laptops, 31 all‑in‑one computers, six monitors and three CPUs

Scam centers were everywhere, having elaborate facilities of their own, or renting rooms in hotels: Phnom Penh police have arrested 24 Indonesian nationals, including six women, in the 13-storey Noden Hotel in Phnom Penh.
A rented villa used as an online scam center was raided by Svay Rieng Provincial Police. The crackdown took place at a Grand Hotel in Phnom Penh

Some people say they had been lured into Cambodia with promises of high-paying jobs, only to found out that they were forced into scam operations – and now they were arrested and are part of massive deportation operations:

• Sihanoukville police ready to deport 49 foreigners
• 104 foreigners deported after Koh Kong immigration swoop
• The General Department of Immigration deported 327 Chinese nationals, including 20 women, via special planes at the Techo International Airport
• On 2 April, 339 Chinese nationals were deported, suspected of online fraud and illegal residence and work in Cambodia
• Over 1500 foreigners deported from Cambodia from 24 to 31 March

There is a wide range of scamming activities, requiring fairly high technical skills and personal convincing speaking abilities. What are scammers doing?

Common scams include romance scams, investment fraud, phishing, and identity theft, often designed to steal money or personal data, exploiting trust through fake relationships (romance scams), promising high returns (investment), or impersonate authorities to gain access to finances or personal information.

These are the major scam types:

Economic and Financial Scams
• Investment Scams: fraudulent schemes, fake cryptocurrency opportunities, and “get-rich-quick” offers
• Advance Fee Frauds: Scammers promise a large sum of money (lottery winnings or inheritance) but require upfront fees, taxes, or charges
• Online Shopping/Auction Scams: Fraudsters sell fake, faulty, or nonexistent items online
• Business Scams: Fake invoices for services never ordered
• Job/Employment Scams: “Guaranteed” employment offers that charge fees for training, materials

Romantic and Social Scams
• Romance/Dating Scams: Perpetrators create fake profiles on dating apps or social media, build emotional trust, and then request money for emergencies, travel, or medical bills
• Sextortion: Attackers threaten to expose sensitive photos or videos of the victim unless payment is made

Cyber and Impersonation Scams
• Fake emails (phishing) or phone calls pretending to be from banks, government agencies, or tech support to steal login credentials or personal data
• Identity Theft: Stealing personal documents (passports, driver’s licenses) to open bank accounts
• Remote Access Scams: Scammers pretend to provide Information Technology support (like from Microsoft or a bank) and ask to take control of your computer to “fix” a problem, subsequently installing malware or stealing data

It is surprising that people from so many countries are involved – the scam organizers need people with their own different languages, for their criminal activities:

The detained comprised nine nationalities, including 135 Chinese, 58 Thai, 30 Indian, 22 Myanmar nationals, six Nepali, four Pakistani, five Rwandan, one Burundian and one Filipino
Those detained included 254 Chinese – of whom 144 were without passports – as well as 30 Malaysians, 23 Vietnamese, and two Indians
A total of 262 foreign nationals deported, including 58 Thai nationals
327 were deported via special planes at the Techo International Airport
A surge of 590 Indonesian cyberscam workers returned home from Cambodia last week
The foreigners comprised 28 nationalities, from Bangladesh, Burundi, Cameron, China, England, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Rwanda, Russia, Sierra Leone. Sudan, Taiwan, Uganda, USA, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

All these numbers relate to human beings. A report by Amnesty International points to the sufferings of the survivors of scam compounds. describing “brutal abuse, witnessing death and abandonment in scam sites, authorities’ failure to protect trafficking victims during the mass exodus of released or escaped foreign nationals”.

How quick can this change?

Since 2025, two high level organizations had been established by the government to deal with the issue: the National Committee for Combating Online Scams, established in February 2025, which coordinates national law enforcement, manages international cooperation, and since late 2025, working with the National Counter-Cybercrime Committee; both under Prime Minister Hun Manet.

It is not easy to understand from available information how these two organs are different, why not only one organ?

And since 7 April 2026, we have also the Cambodian Law on Combating Technology-Based Scams. Senate President Hun Sen, as acting head of state, introduced strict penalties to combat the country’s cyber fraud. The law targets organized scam groups with penalties ranging from 2 to 5 years for scammers, and 15 to 30 years or life imprisonment for leaders whose operations cause death, in addition heavy fines, and asset confiscation. 

More in detail:

• Severe Penalties: Ringleaders face 5 to 10 years for standard scam operations, increasing to 20 years to life if violence, torture, or trafficking is involved
• Targeted Offenses: The legislation defines crimes including technology-based fraud, trafficking/forced labor in scams, and malicious data collection.
• Extensive Crackdown: The new law follows, and accelerates, an ongoing crackdown that has led to the detention of thousands of foreign suspects.
• International Pressure: The law aims to mend Cambodia’s reputation as a, major regional hub for online scams, which experts say has attracted significant international concern.

Chhay Sinarith, the deputy head of Cambodia’s National Committee for Combating Online Scams, made a public call for individuals involved in scam operations to come forward, cooperate with authorities, and provide information to help identify key organizers and accomplices. He also urged property owners to remain vigilant and avoid renting buildings to criminal groups.

New activities start. The police, that was aware since years that there were some establishments guarded by armed guards controlling who could or could not enter, is now making some systematic investigations: after inspecting 25 condominiums and hotels in central Phnom Penh, looking for evidence of online scams and illegal foreigners; after 274 foreigners were examined, all of which had valid documents, the working group did not find any crimes of fraud.

A crackdown had revealed that the operator of the Golden Galaxy Casino was directly involved in the online scam. The casino’s license has now been revoked.

But there is a complicated difficult question. As we see now, thousands of persons have been involved in scam operations in many different places of the country. How comes this was discovered only recently? They did not only operate in their own scam compounds, but also in many different rented properties. Did the renters, collecting regular income from the renting, not know what was going on in their properties, with massive electronic equipment, requiring considerable electricity support?
Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Koeut Rith said that the Kingdom’s new law on combating technology-based fraud does not allow confiscation of property simply because it was rented and used for online scams. If an owner knowingly facilitates a crime, such as providing assets for illegal use, they may face both confiscation and criminal charges.

“If confiscation occurs, it means authorities have proven the owner’s participation and benefit from the crime.” He added that individuals who are not involved in scam activities retain full legal protection and the right to challenge unlawful enforcement actions.

It will be a tremendous amount of legal inquiries to prove which property owners did know or did not know why their former regular income from scam operations came now to sudden stop.