Cambodia Hosts International Conference on Combating Tech Scams, Emphasizing Links to Organized Crime

An international conference on "Combating Tech-Based Scams" held in Phnom Penh on September 24, 2026, acknowledged that technological scams are interconnected with numerous other criminal offenses such as human trafficking, forced criminal acts, money laundering, and illegal financial flows. This was a highlighted issue in the high-level discussions of the conference. According to His Excellency Net Pheaktra, Minister of Information, speaking at a press conference on the morning of September 24, 2026, after the conclusion of the international conference on combating tech-based scams, tech-based scams are increasingly linked with organized crime in various forms, alongside human trafficking, money laundering, and illegal financial flows. Therefore, tech-based scams should not be considered as isolated cyber issues separate from other criminal activities. His Excellency the Minister emphasized, "Therefore, our response cannot focus solely on closing down locations or arresting perpetrators of immediate offenses. We must investigate and sever the entire criminal network, including masterminds, financiers, recruitment networks, and operators of illegal operations. This is why international cooperation needs to be more rapid, concrete, and effective." Combating tech-based scams is a shared responsibility and requires joint action from governments and society as a whole to address this criminal threat. Cambodia has prioritized combating tech-based scams under the leadership of His Excellency the Prime Minister and has taken successive measures. The government has established a special committee to combat tech-based scams directly under the Prime Minister's leadership and approved the Law on Combating Tech-Based Scams in April 2026. For reference, from July 2025 to August 31, 2026, Cambodian authorities inspected 832 suspicious locations and took action to crack down on 663 of them. Eighty-six large-scale scam centers were brought under control. The crackdown indicates that large-scale online scam centers are no longer present in Cambodia, although their forms have evolved into smaller ones. A total of 446 cases involving 3,927 suspects have been sent to court, and bank accounts linked to the offenses with funds exceeding 300 million US dollars have been frozen. By: Makara © All rights reserved by National News Agency of Cambodia 2018