Cambodia cracks down on online scams with nearly 6 | RSS.com
Cambodia’s Interior Ministry says authorities have dismantled nearly 100 online scam operations and arrested close to 6,000 people in just over two months at the start of 2026.
In a statement released on March 19, ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak said police had raided 98 locations across 13 provinces and the capital, Phnom Penh, detaining 5,771 suspects from 23 nationalities.
Phnom Penh recorded the highest number of crackdowns, with 66 sites shut down. Kampot province followed with eight locations, while Svay Rieng saw seven. Smaller numbers of operations were uncovered in provinces including Battambang, Tbong Khmum, Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey, and Preah Sihanouk.
Among those detained, more than 3,400 were Chinese nationals, over 1,100 were Vietnamese, around 400 were Cambodian, and nearly 200 were from Myanmar. Others came from countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, the Philippines, Pakistan, India, Laos, Singapore, Japan, the United States, Mexico, Uganda, and Belarus.
Authorities said more than 4,400 individuals from 19 nationalities have been referred to the immigration department, while 127 suspects from six nationalities have been sent to court. Another 342 people have been released, and 895 others remain under legal procedures at provincial police units.
The ministry added that enforcement has intensified in recent weeks. Between March 1 and March 14, operations continued actively, with authorities not only carrying out new raids but also re-inspecting previously closed sites.
Prime Minister Hun Manet told AFP on February 25 that online scam networks, often described as part of a shadow economy, are damaging Cambodia’s legitimate economy and seriously harming its international reputation.
Interior Minister Sar Sokha said on the same day that more than 210,000 foreign nationals had voluntarily left Cambodia, while over 30,000 others had been deported as part of the crackdown on online scams.
He also warned that from early March, authorities would tighten enforcement on foreign residents. Property owners, including those running housing developments, hotels, and apartment buildings, could face legal action if they fail to report foreign occupants to the authorities.
Cambodia has pledged to eliminate online scam operations by April 2026, according to an earlier Interior Ministry announcement in February.
