440 Indonesians freed from Cambodia’s cyberscam networks in criminal crackdown
Workers seek repatriation after scam operators, fearing police raids and new government measures, abruptly release hundreds of staff
Scammers working from hubs across Southeast Asia, some willingly and others trafficked, lure internet users globally into fake romances and cryptocurrency investments, netting tens of billions of dollars each year.
Recent Cambodian law enforcement measures resulted in “many online scam syndicates – letting their workers go”, Indonesia’s ambassador to Cambodia, Santo Darmosumarto, said in a video posted to social media.
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Over 1,400 Indonesians seek embassy help to leave Cambodia after scam centre closures
Between January 1 and 18, 440 Indonesians came to the embassy in Phnom Penh after they had been “released by online scam syndicates”, many seeking to return home, according to a post on Instagram.