Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has declared that Cambodia will not become a safe haven for transnational online scam syndicates as the country hosts an international conference focused on dismantling the multibillion-dollar cyberfraud industry.
Speaking at the International Conference on Combating Online Scams in Phnom Penh on September 23, Hun Manet called for stronger international cooperation, including real-time intelligence sharing, to disrupt criminal networks operating across borders. More than a dozen countries, including the United States and China, are taking part in the two-day gathering.
Cambodian authorities say they have closed hundreds of scam sites and dismantled large-scale compounds. Officials said 663 scam sites, including 86 large compounds, had been shut, while nearly 30,000 suspects had been arrested, including officials and law enforcement personnel. Authorities have also reported freezing hundreds of millions of dollars in suspected scam-related accounts.
The crackdown comes amid years of international concern over scam centres in Cambodia and other parts of Southeast Asia. Some facilities have been linked to operations in which trafficking victims were allegedly detained and forced to conduct online fraud, including romance scams, impersonation schemes and cryptocurrency-related fraud.
Cambodia has faced pressure from governments including the United States and China to take stronger action against the networks. The US estimates that Americans lost at least US$18.2 billion to cyber-enabled scams carried out by transnational criminal organisations in Southeast Asia in 2025.
However, questions remain over whether shutting down large compounds will be enough to dismantle the wider criminal networks. Analysts cited in recent reports say some operators have adapted by moving into smaller facilities, rented properties and other less visible locations.
Delphine Schantz, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, described the conference as a sign of greater openness to international cooperation but said more action is still needed at both national and international levels.
The conference is focused on improving cooperation among governments, law enforcement agencies, financial institutions and technology companies, with the goal of strengthening efforts to trace digital evidence, disrupt financial flows and break the networks behind online scams.
With scam groups increasingly adapting their methods and moving operations across borders, Cambodia’s latest crackdown is now being closely watched for whether it can move beyond closing compounds and reach the broader networks behind the fraud industry.
