Phnom Penh Declaration on Combating Online Scams Adopted, Strengthening International Cooperation

The International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS-2026) concluded in Phnom Penh on Sept. 24, 2026 with the adoption of the Phnom Penh Declaration, outlining 11 key commitments to strengthen international cooperation in combating online scams and related transnational criminal activities. According to a press release AKP received this afternoon, the Phnom Penh Declaration, adopted by participating delegates from 28 countries and seven international organisations during the one-day-and-a-half ICCOS-2026, calls for concerted national, regional and international action based on 11 commitments: strengthening international cooperation; breaking the criminal chain; disrupting and recovering criminal proceeds; leveraging technological innovation; strengthening policy, legal and regulatory frameworks; building capacity and resilience; deepening public-private partnerships; protecting trafficked victims and vulnerable persons; implementing the non-punishment principle for victims; preventing fraud and human trafficking; and dismantling online scam compounds and related infrastructure. The Declaration also underscores the importance of intelligence sharing, financial investigations, mutual legal assistance, capacity building and stronger cross-border law enforcement cooperation, while promoting public awareness and partnerships between governments and the private sector. The Conference noted that online scam networks are continuously adapting their operations by dispersing into smaller and decentralised cells and exploiting emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. It therefore stressed that disrupting individual operations alone is insufficient and that sustained efforts are required to deny criminal networks the space and infrastructure needed to operate and re-emerge. At the conference, Cambodia reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing perpetrators, disrupting online scam networks, seizing criminal assets and strengthening victim-centred protection measures. Cambodian authorities reported that, over the past year, they had conducted site inspections and crackdown operations at 832 online scam locations, referred 446 case files involving 3,927 suspects to court, and deported 22,142 foreign nationals of 38 nationalities. Cambodia reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with international partners to translate the 11 commitments of the Phnom Penh Declaration into sustained actions and effective measures to protect victims and prevent online scam networks from re-emerging. By Heng Panha