Star Metro - Cambodia no 'safe haven' for cyberscams, PM says

Southeast Asia, especially Cambodia and war-torn Myanmar, has emerged as a hub for crime syndicates running centres filled with scammers -- some willing, some trafficked -- who defraud internet users through fake romantic relationships or cryptocurrency investment schemes.

"Cambodia will never be a safe haven for online scams," Hun Manet told a conference against online scams organised by his government in the capital Phnom Penh.

He said Cambodian authorities had "completely dismantled all light-scale scam compounds" in a high-profile crackdown launched last year.

He denied the move was a "public relations campaign", saying it was focused on "permanently eradicating criminal networks and preventing their re-emergence".

Cambodia acted under pressure from key ally China as well as the United States, after years of accusations that it allowed scam centres to thrive, generating billions of dollars in illicit profits annually.

But researchers say scammers have dispersed to smaller, lower-profile locations, while in many cases centres were given advance warning of raids.

- Multi-billion-dollar industry -

Delphine Schantz, regional representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), hailed Cambodia's efforts but said "more can be done and needs to be done" at national, regional and international levels.

Yang Weilin, Chinese vice minister of public security, also praised Cambodia's cooperation with Beijing, saying "no country can stay immune, or tackle the problem single-handedly".

Yet "we must be sober-minded that the breeding ground for telecom fraud has not been fully rooted out", he told the conference.

FBI official Stephen Flores said law enforcement partnerships needed to be based on "trust and shared sacrifice".

The United States estimates that in 2025 alone, transnational criminal organisations in Southeast Asia defrauded Americans out of at least $18.2 billion through cyber-enabled scams.

Visiting Phnom Penh in July, FBI Director Kash Patel said online scams were a "top priority", urging "increased efforts to hold high-level scam bosses accountable", and more information sharing on "complicit officials".

Analysts say elite protection networks and the financial and physical infrastructure of the scam industry remains intact, raising concerns that operators can regroup.

F.Leblanc--SMC