Hanoi (VNA) – Cambodia has dismantled more than 700 online scam facilities during a year-long nationwide crackdown, arresting nearly 30,000 suspects, including several senior officials and law enforcement officers, the Cambodian Government said.
According to a statement from the Secretariat of the Ad-Hoc Commission for Combating Online Scams (CCOS), from July 2025 to August 20, 2026, specialised authorities inspected 793 suspected locations and raided 624 facilities. They also dealt with 27 casinos, permanently revoking the licences of 18 and suspending the operations of the remaining nine.
Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith, head of the CCOS, warned that criminal groups are changing tactics, shifting to smaller, more dispersed operations concealed in guesthouses, apartments, rented properties, vehicles and cafes.
Cambodian authorities will continue to investigate and conduct further crackdowns, he told a recent press briefing attended by about 50 representatives of foreign diplomatic missions and international organisations in Cambodia.
During the campaign, Cambodian authorities rescued and repatriated 58,266 foreign nationals, including 7,282 women. Investigations found that 22,045 people from 38 nationalities were directly involved in online scam activities.
Law enforcement agencies have referred 408 cases to courts for prosecution, with 3,477 suspects from 29 nationalities detained pending trial. Authorities are also seeking 855 additional suspects under court-issued arrest warrants.
The campaign has also focused on corruption and collusion within the public sector. Cambodia’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) investigated four cases and arrested 15 senior officials and law enforcement officers, including a prosecutor, a senior official from the Immigration Department, a deputy director of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police and a former senior official of the Foreign Ministry./.
Cambodia warns of new social media scam
The regulator advised users not to pay for account-protection services, share passwords or OTPs, or grant administrator access to strangers. Users should also avoid clicking suspicious links, enable two-factor authentication and grant administrator privileges only to trusted individuals.
