Cambodia Dismantles Major Scam Hubs, But Small-Scale Operations Spark New Concerns

Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI). Cambodia said it has dismantled the large-scale scam compounds that turned parts of the country into major hubs for industrialized cyber fraud, but small-scale scam rings cropping up in urban areas have sparked concern about the industry adapting. In Phnom Penh, authorities this week arrested 18 Bangladeshi nationals during a raid on a suspected online scam operation in a house in Boeung Keng Kang district. In Sihanoukville, police arrested 10 Chinese nationals on Tuesday and seized more than 120 electronic devices during raids on three apartment buildings, with four of those arrested suspected of involvement in online scams. Authorities also detained 34 suspects and seized hundreds of electronic devices during raids on suspected scam locations in Koh Kong’s Kiri Sakor district over the weekend. The raids came shortly after the Commission for Combating Online Scams said authorities had cleared more than 600 locations linked to fraud operations over the past year and detained nearly 30,000 suspects from 39 nationalities. A Wednesday report from state media also said authorities have frozen more than $300 million in bank accounts holding scam proceeds and opened more than 440 criminal cases against fraudsters since July 2025. The government has presented the figures as evidence of its sweeping crackdown and said no large-scale scam compounds remained operating in the country. But, Chhay Sinarith, head of the anti-scam commission, acknowledged that fraud groups have adapted, shifting to smaller and decentralised operations while hiding in guesthouses, condos, vehicles and coffee shops. The continued discovery of smaller operations has left an expert pointing to the need to dismantle, not just disrupt, the networks. Jacob Sims, a visiting fellow at Harvard University and a leading expert on transnational crime in Southeast Asia, said the timing of the government’s declaration is significant, coming as Cambodia faces growing international pressure over the scam industry and prepares to host an international conference on combating online scams. He said the government has strong incentives to demonstrate visible success, but closing compounds is not the same as dismantling the networks that allowed the industry to flourish. “The evidence points much more clearly to disruption and adaptation than to full dismantling,” Sims said, adding that it is easier to shut down physical compounds than to disrupt the “criminal-political networks” that enabled the industry to operate. Sims said the government’s next step should be to target the networks and powerful actors who facilitated and protected the industry, rather than focusing only on smaller scam sites. In recent years, Cambodian senators and tycoons with political ties have faced sanctions and arrest warrants from foreign governments over alleged involvement in scam operations and the human trafficking that fuels them. None of the senior officials targeted or linked to the industry by foreign governments have faced legal action at home, and all have denied involvement. Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak, National Police spokesperson Chhay Kim Khoeun, and Chea Pov, chief of the Cambodian National Police’s Anti-Cybercrimes Department, did not respond to questions from CamboJA News on whether the recent raids indicate that scam networks are adapting to the crackdown, and whether authorities have identified links between smaller operations and previously dismantled compounds. The recent raids also come as the National Police launched its Kapea Scams app, which allows citizens to report suspect fraud operations and receive alerts from authorities. Sims said the app could help generate leads, particularly as operations become smaller and harder for authorities to identify. But he said its impact would depend on whether independent investigations are conducted after a report is submitted. He also cautioned against lauding the crackdown too soon. “These compounds ran with impunity for many many years. A few months of shut down is not sufficient to say that the issue is resolved,” Sims said.