Cambodia Targets Complete Shutdown of Online Scam Centers by April

Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith, who heads the Commission for Combating Online Scams, said the government has already closed around 80% of the suspected locations linked to scam operations. Since July, authorities have identified approximately 250 sites believed to be involved in online fraud, with about 200 of them already shut down.

According to Chhay Sinarith, the government is determined to dismantle the remaining operations in the coming weeks. Officials also plan to maintain strict monitoring and enforcement measures beyond April to prevent scam centers from re-emerging.

The crackdown has resulted in dozens of investigations and arrests. Authorities have opened 79 legal cases involving 697 alleged ringleaders and accomplices connected to scam activities. Police raids have targeted multiple buildings suspected of hosting organized fraud operations across the country.

In one recent operation on March 10, Cambodian police raided a high-rise building in Phnom Penh believed to be used as a scam center. Around 60 people, including Cambodian and Chinese nationals, were arrested during the raid.

Journalists were later shown items confiscated during earlier operations. Among the seized materials were uniforms and fake identification cards that investigators say were used by scammers impersonating Japanese police officers. Such disguises were reportedly part of schemes designed to convince victims that they were interacting with legitimate law-enforcement officials.

The enforcement campaign has also led to the repatriation of nearly 10,000 workers connected to scam operations. These individuals came from 23 different countries and were returned to their home nations after authorities determined they had been involved in, or forced into participating in, the fraud networks. Fewer than 1,000 people are still awaiting formal repatriation.

Cambodian officials say the country’s scam industry first emerged in the early 2010s. Initially, many operations relied on voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) phone systems to conduct telephone fraud schemes. However, the industry expanded dramatically during the pandemic, when casinos and other gambling venues lost large numbers of in-person customers.

With traditional revenue streams declining, some operators shifted toward online scams, transforming the activity into large-scale industrial operations that targeted victims around the world.

Investigations have also linked scam centers in Cambodia and neighboring Myanmar to international criminal networks. These groups are believed to lure foreign nationals with fake job advertisements before coercing them into participating in romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and other online schemes.

Despite the recent enforcement push, some experts remain skeptical about whether the crackdown will dismantle the broader systems enabling the industry.

Jacob Sims, a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Asia Center, noted that the key issue is not only shutting down physical locations but also addressing the deeper networks behind them. “The real question is whether this effort targets the system that enables the industry, not just the buildings where scams happen,” he said.

Meanwhile, Cambodia’s regulated gambling sector continues to grow. Government figures show the industry generated about $72 million in revenue in 2025, marking a 14% increase from the previous year. Authorities have pledged to tighten oversight and revoke licenses for operators found to be involved in illegal activities.