Cambodia Arrests Over 3,000 Suspects in Online Scam Crackdown, Freezes Over $800,000 in Assets

Authorities in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, have arrested over 3,000 suspects and frozen approximately $800,000 in assets as part of a year-long crackdown on online scams. The operation has targeted 184 cases of technological fraud. Major General Bun Sosekkha, Deputy Commissioner of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police in charge of security affairs, announced on September 22 that among the over 3,000 suspects, who hail from 22 nationalities, more than 200 have had their cases sent to court. He also confirmed the confiscation of numerous technological devices linked to online scam activities. The seized evidence includes 1,061 desktop computers, 923 laptops, 2,064 CPUs, 3,952 monitors, 3,170 All-in-One computers, 23 iMacs and MacBooks, and 64 iPads and tablets. Additionally, approximately 29,900 mobile phones, foreign SIM cards, and counterfeit uniforms impersonating police officers from other countries were confiscated. Major General Bun Sosekkha highlighted that the technology used by scamming groups is constantly evolving, including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to facilitate romance scams and other fraudulent methods. Some of the confiscated evidence has been forwarded to the courts, while other items are being retained for further investigation and inquiry. Data from Cambodian authorities indicates that from July 2025 to August 2026, investigators probed over 830 suspicious locations and conducted raids on 663 sites. Eighty-six large-scale online scam locations were brought under control and dismantled, leading to the deportation of over 20,000 foreigners from Cambodia. Cambodian authorities consider technological fraud a complex transnational crime, potentially involving victims, financial networks, suspects, and technological infrastructure spread across different countries. Cambodian law enforcement is continuing its investigation and crackdown on increasingly fragmented and adaptive scam networks, with ongoing cooperation with China, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and ASEAN nations to combat this cross-border crime. Source: CEN Cambodia