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Cambodia’s ‘performative’ crackdowns fail to stop scam centres: Amnesty

The rights group said it identified 86 scam compounds operating across Cambodia as of April, up from 53 a year earlier

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Cambodian authorities display equipment seized from a scam compound in Phnom Penh on March 11. Photo: EPA
Bloomberg
Cambodia has failed to dismantle much of its online scam industry despite a year-long crackdown that authorities said would eliminate it, according to an Amnesty International report that challenges official claims of success.
The London-based rights group said it identified 86 scam compounds operating across Cambodia as of April, up from 53 a year earlier, and found evidence of state intervention at only 24 sites during the government’s campaign.

That contrasts with official statements that authorities had taken action against more than 250 scam centres nationwide.

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The findings cast doubt on government assertions that the industry had been significantly weakened. Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith said in February that online scam activity had been reduced by half and the problem would be resolved by April. Officials later reported thousands of arrests, prosecutions and deportations linked to the crackdown.

“Cambodia’s crackdown has failed in key areas, both in investigating and shuttering some of the most well-known compounds across the country and in protecting and assisting the victims who escaped,” Amnesty said in its report, released on Monday.

Cambodia police raid AI-driven scam centre targeting Europe

The effort targets a cyberfraud industry that has turned parts of Southeast Asia into hubs for online scams generating billions of dollars annually.

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