US-Cambodia Cooperation Fuels Asia-Wide Crackdown on Scam Networks

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 23, 2026 (KPT) — A senior FBI official has credited stronger Cambodia–US cooperation and wider international partnerships for a sharp rise in arrests and extraditions across Asia, as countries intensify efforts against transnational online scam networks. Stephen Flores, Senior Executive of the FBI, told the International Conference on Combating Online Scams in Phnom Penh that crime does not respect borders and requires partnerships built on trust and shared responsibility. “These partnerships have to be more than just professional relationships. They must be founded on trust and shared sacrifice,” he said. Flores said cooperation between law‑enforcement agencies was producing measurable results. Over the past 18 months, the FBI captured six of its top 10 international fugitives, while extraditions increased by 62 percent and foreign transfers of custody by 54 percent. Arrests in Asia rose by 175 percent, with extraditions up 200 percent. He stressed that such outcomes depend on cooperation with host countries, noting the FBI cannot operate independently abroad. “Although TV says we can,” he quipped, “the FBI cannot go wherever it wants and conduct operations without the cooperation of host countries.” Flores said enhanced cooperation was helping law‑enforcement agencies bring fugitives to justice, recover money lost through fraud and dismantle scam centres. He emphasised the ultimate purpose was to protect victims, including families and communities affected by fraud. “It’s giving a family answers to questions, returning back the money that they’ve been defrauded out of,” he said. The two‑day conference, hosted by Cambodia under the theme “Acting Together towards Breaking the Chain and Eradication of Online Scams,” has brought together governments, law‑enforcement agencies, international organisations and other stakeholders. Flores said the results underscored a shared responsibility across jurisdictions to protect innocent people and hold criminal actors accountable.