Cambodia claims its crackdown has halved online scam activity
The Straits Times
Officials aim to bring all remaining operations under control by April. Read more at straitstimes.com.
PHNOM PENH – Cambodian authorities say a crackdown on online scam compounds has cut activity in half since the start of 2026, as they face international pressure to dismantle networks accused of stealing billions annually from people worldwide.
“The problem of online scams has fallen to just 50 per cent,” Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith, chairman of the Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Technology Crimes, told Bloomberg News by telephone on Feb 25.
He described the figure as a preliminary estimate reflecting a reduction in overall scam operations but did not specify how it was calculated or how many compounds remain active, or their size.
Cambodia is being pressed by countries including China and the US, as well as human rights groups, to take stronger action against the centres that have proliferated since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Criminal syndicates – many with links across South-east Asia and China – are accused of running online investment and romance scams and illegal gambling operations.
Authorities say there have been dozens of raids on suspected scam sites and the deportation of thousands of foreign nationals.
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