Cambodian authorities say they have dismantled the country’s large-scale online scam compounds following more than a year of inspections and enforcement operations. The campaign has involved hundreds of locations, thousands of suspects and the removal of foreign nationals from the country.
Chhay Sinarith, head of the Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Online Scams, said officials investigated 793 suspected locations between July 2025 and August 20, 2026. Authorities carried out direct enforcement operations at 624 sites and continued collecting evidence from another 169 locations that had been abandoned after suspects fled.
Sinarith presented the figures on August 27 during a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation attended by around 50 representatives from diplomatic missions and international organizations.
Authorities detained nearly 30,000 suspects from 39 nationalities during the campaign. They also rescued and deported 58,266 foreign nationals. Of those, 22,045 people representing 38 nationalities were identified as being directly involved in online scam operations.
The government has also pursued court action against people connected with the activities. Officials prepared 408 cases for referral to the courts, while 3,477 suspects from 29 nationalities were detained and placed in pretrial custody. Authorities are also seeking 855 additional suspects under court-issued arrest warrants.
Large Compounds Dismantled, Smaller Groups Remain
Sinarith said the campaign had removed the large-scale compounds used by scam groups in Cambodia.
“However, large-scale scam compounds have been completely dismantled in Cambodia, while strict legal enforcement has also been taken against suspects and officials linked to the operations,” he stated.
The authorities have also taken action against officials accused of involvement. Cambodia’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has handled four cases resulting in the arrest of 15 senior government and law enforcement officials. Those detained include a deputy prosecutor, a deputy director-general of immigration, a deputy commissioner of Phnom Penh police and a former director-general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with police and military officers.
The campaign has affected the casino sector as well. Cambodia’s Commercial Gambling Management Commission has revoked the licenses of 18 casinos and suspended nine additional licenses.
At the same time, scam groups have adapted their operations. Sinarith said smaller-scale activities have appeared in guest houses, condominiums, rental properties, cafes and vehicles. Authorities continue to investigate these operations and take enforcement action against them.
Jacob Sims, a visiting fellow at Harvard University and senior adviser at data analytics firm Inca Digital, questioned whether the government’s claim that major compounds have been completely eliminated can yet be independently established.
Sims said credible third-party monitors need access to former scam locations, while survivors should have greater opportunities to provide information about their experiences. He also pointed to the need for verifiable monitoring of the illicit financial flows associated with the compounds.
According to Sims, disrupting physical sites could allow criminal groups to reorganize if the networks that previously supported them remain intact.
“Given the fully captured nature of Cambodia’s justice system and broader formal institutions, this implies a need for sustained international commitment to genuine legal accountability,” Sims said.
He also called for stronger measures targeting illicit financial flows and an end to harassment of journalists and witnesses who investigate or report abuses linked to the scam industry.
Visa Investigation Highlights Alleged Official Involvement
A separate ACU investigation has brought additional attention to alleged links between government officials and the scam economy.
The agency alleges that three former Foreign Ministry officials misappropriated 12,000 visa stickers and sold them to foreign workers at online scam compounds and casinos. The alleged scheme generated around $3 million, with individual visas reportedly sold for between $300 and $6,000.
The investigation involves former ministry director-general Tho Samnang, former deputy bureau chief Nop Ratha and contract officer Yos Rane.
According to the ACU, the officials issued courtesy visas and extensions without the required applications or supporting agreements. Investigators also found almost 200 foreign nationals carrying fraudulent visas in their passports.
Financial investigators identified 375 bank accounts held by Tho Samnang across seven banks. Courts subsequently ordered the freezing and confiscation of $980,000 allegedly laundered by Samnang and $250,000 allegedly laundered by Nop Ratha.
The three suspects face charges related to intentional destruction and embezzlement, abuse of power and money laundering. The ACU said it was preparing three further charges while its investigation into the suspects’ assets continued.
The case has emerged during the government’s broader campaign against scam operations, including networks that have operated from casino properties and enclosed compounds. The allegations also demonstrate the authorities’ focus on suspected administrative and financial support systems connected to the industry.
Cambodia Faces Continued Regional Pressure
The enforcement campaign comes amid a wider regional problem involving organized online scams. A United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report released in late July estimated that annual losses from scam offenses across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand could have reached between $88 billion and $114 billion in 2025.
Sinarith acknowledged that online scams remain a global threat and that criminal groups can relocate quickly and alter their methods when authorities disrupt their activities.
The government’s position is that the largest Cambodian compounds have now been dismantled, while enforcement agencies continue pursuing smaller operations. Independent observers, meanwhile, have called for greater transparency to establish the extent to which the criminal infrastructure has actually been removed.
Cambodia plans to host an international conference on combating online scams on September 23 and 24. The event is intended to strengthen cooperation in response to the regional and international threat and will bring together representatives from governments, international organizations, law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, technology companies and research institutions.
According to Cambodianess, the conference will be held under the theme “Acting Together towards Breaking the Chain and Eradication of Online Scams.”