Cambodia Cracks Down Hard on Online Scams, More Than 2,000 Foreigners Arrested in a Single Operation

Phnom Penh. As part of a wide-ranging campaign against online fraud and cybercrime, Southeast Asian nation Cambodia has arrested 2,044 foreign nationals in its latest operation. The information was made public on Sunday by a spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior.

According to the spokesperson, the suspects—belonging to eight different nationalities—were apprehended on Saturday during a special raid on a casino complex comprising 22 buildings in Bavet City of Svay Rieng Province, which borders Vietnam. The operation was carried out amid long-standing suspicions that the area had become a hub for online scams and cybercrime.

In a statement, Ministry of Interior spokesperson Touch Sokhak said, “This operation sends a clear message that the Cambodian government will never be lenient toward criminals involved in online scams.” He added, “Cambodia is not a safe haven for criminals, but rather a hell.”

In recent months, the Cambodian government has launched an unprecedented nationwide campaign aimed at completely dismantling cyber-scam networks. According to the government, the primary objective of this campaign is to safeguard national security, public order, and social safety.

Meanwhile, a report released last week by Cambodia’s Ad-Hoc Committee to Combat Online Scams revealed that over the past seven months, authorities have arrested 5,106 suspected online scam operators from 23 nationalities. Of them, 4,534 individuals have been deported to their countries of origin.

Analysts say Cambodia’s tough crackdown has sent a strong message at the regional level regarding the control of cybercrime. The latest operation also signals that the government’s policy of zero tolerance toward online scams is likely to become even stricter in the days ahead