Cambodia Freezes Over $300 Million in Funds Linked to Online Scams, Seizure for State Property Considered

Cambodian authorities announced the freezing of over $300 million in funds as part of a year-long operation to combat technology-based fraud. The crackdown, which ran from July to the end of August this year, has targeted online scam operations. Authorities are continuing procedures to freeze and assess other related assets, underscoring the strict enforcement of laws to cut off financial flows and illicit gains from criminal networks. The freezing of assets was conducted through operations that dismantled 663 online scam locations and cracked down on 86 major scam centers. Additionally, 27 casinos linked to technology-based fraud offenses faced measures, with 18 casino licenses revoked and 9 suspended. Authorities are currently proceeding with legal procedures to confiscate these scam centers as state property, in accordance with existing laws. According to the report, the sweep operation led to the detention of nearly 30,000 suspects from 39 nationalities. Cambodian authorities facilitated the rescue and repatriation of over 22,000 foreign nationals from 38 nationalities. Furthermore, judicial proceedings are actively underway for 446 cases involving 3,927 defendants, including ringleaders and accomplices from 29 nationalities. Alongside prosecuting criminals, authorities have also taken firm legal action against government officials found to be involved. Four cases involving 15 suspects, including a deputy prosecutor, a deputy director-general of immigration, a deputy police commissioner of Phnom Penh, a former director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and several police and military officers, have been processed. The Secretariat of the National Committee for Combating Online Fraud (NCCOF) stated that while large-scale scam operations no longer exist in Cambodia, some fraudulent activities persist, having shifted to smaller, clandestine operations conducted from rented rooms, guesthouses, condominiums, private homes, vehicles, or cafes. Article 22 of the Law on Combating Technology-Based Fraud permits the confiscation of equipment, materials, funds, profits, or assets used in committing offenses, as well as the locations where offenses occurred or profits derived from such fraud, to be confiscated as state property.