FBI Director Discusses Online Scams Targeting Americans with Cambodian Officials

U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel visited Cambodia on July 22nd to hold discussions with Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet and National Police Chief General Sar Thet regarding joint efforts to combat online scam operations that continue to target U.S. citizens. This was announced by the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia. The U.S. Embassy's press release stated that the United States expresses grave concern over the rise of online scam operations within Cambodia, which have resulted in billions of dollars in financial losses for American victims. This issue remains one of the top priorities for the U.S. government. The U.S. highly commends Prime Minister Hun Manet's commitment to combating this issue and is working closely with the Cambodian government to support initiatives aimed at eradicating illegal online scam networks. This visit underscores the necessity of stringent joint efforts to combat transnational online crime, including increased efforts to prosecute and apprehend high-level scam kingpins and to enhance information sharing concerning officials and location owners involved in these fraudulent operations. The United States also fully supports efforts to ensure justice for victims and criminal accountability for online scam perpetrators, their conspirators, and individuals involved in various human trafficking offenses. Concurrently, the U.S. will continue to work with Cambodia to strengthen law enforcement cooperation in protecting citizens from these criminal networks.