Blackmail gang: Cambodia arrests 215 Chinese who ran online nude photo scam
The gang allegedly contacted victims in China, building up relationships with their targets over time before asking them to send nude pictures which they then used as blackmail
Cambodia has arrested more than 200 Chinese men and women suspected of running an online scam that persuaded victims to send nude photographs and then extorted them for cash, police said Thursday.
The sweeping arrests come as the Southeast Asian country cracks down on Chinese cybercrime gangs who use web technology to target their fellow citizens from abroad.
The gang allegedly used internet voice calls to contact victims in China, building up relationships with their targets over time before asking them to send nude pictures which they then used as blackmail, police said.
After a tip-off from Chinese authorities, Cambodian police raided an apartment compound on the Thai border on Wednesday and detained 215 Chinese men and women.
“We are questioning them. Nearly two hundred of them were involved with the crimes,” Uk Heisela, a Cambodian immigration police officer, said.
China has become increasingly assertive about extraditing fraud suspects, who operate from abroad in a bid to avoid detection.