Cambodia and Australia Bolster Cooperation on Cybercrime with Renewed MOU

The Cambodian National Police are continuing their close cooperation with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in combating transnational crime and cybercrime, including information exchange and investigative support. From early 2025 to June 2026, the Transnational Crime Team (TCT) of the Cambodian National Police has handled five investigation requests from the Australian side concerning technology-based fraud cases. According to Touch Sokha, Deputy Spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, these requests included two cases of cryptocurrency fraud. In one instance, an investigation into two email addresses was requested, and the inquiry revealed that these emails were operating from Google servers in the United States. In another case, Australia requested an investigation into the owner of an IP address, but due to a lack of further investigative leads, the AFP requested the closure of the case. Additionally, one request involved examining immigration data for six suspects, but their entry into Cambodia could not be verified. In another case, Australia requested cooperation in investigating three locations, and the Cybercrime Department is currently working with the AFP on this matter. Regarding a case of online extortion, the victim was identified and repatriated to Australia. However, Cambodian authorities have no information on the suspects as the victim had communicated with them online. Sokha stated that the TCT is currently continuing its close collaboration with the AFP to address residual issues from Cambodia's recent successful large-scale crackdown on cybercrime. "Cambodian police maintain excellent cooperative relations with various countries and international organizations. Notably, from September 23rd to 24th, the Ministry of Interior will present the reasons behind the complexity of online scams, the results of our crackdowns on technology-based fraud, and our experience and commitment to combating online scams. This will demonstrate that Cambodia is not a haven for technology-based fraud," Sokha added. It is recalled that after initially signing an MOU in 2002, the Cambodian National Police and the AFP signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding in early September 2026. The purpose of this MOU is to cooperate in combating transnational crimes, including terrorism, human trafficking, child sexual abuse, illegal drug trafficking, arms trafficking, money laundering, technology-related crimes, identity fraud, and other offenses as agreed upon by both parties. Through this renewed MOU, both sides have established the Transnational Crime Team (TCT) to prevent, suppress, and crack down on all forms of transnational crime, particularly those originating from Cambodia to Australia, from Australia to Cambodia, or involving third countries in relation to both nations. Source: CEN Cambodia