United States, South Korea and United Kingdom strike Cambodia’s massive scam empire, seizing Chen Zhi’s cryptocurrency assets, freezing London properties, rescuing kidnapped citizens amid claims of Thai financial links amid rising global outrage.

Global authorities struck hard on Wednesday against Cambodia’s scam empire along the eastern border. The FBI seized ฿15 billion in cryptocurrency tied to Chen Zhi, a close ally of former strongman Hun Sen. The U.K. froze London properties linked to the network, while South Korea sent a top delegation to Phnom Penh after reports of hundreds of its citizens kidnapped and brutalised in scam compounds tolerated by the Cambodian regime. The crackdown sent shockwaves through Bangkok, where there are suspected financial links between Thai markets and Cambodia’s criminal networks, sparking urgent calls for action.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel announced a $15 billion crypto seizure tied to Cambodia’s scam empire, specifically the Prince Holdings Group, run by 37-year-old Chen Zhi and backed by the Hun Sen-Hun Manet regime. (Source: FBI)

Dramatic developments this week have sent shockwaves through Southeast Asia’s power corridors. Coordinated moves by the United States, South Korea, and the United Kingdom have tightened the noose on Cambodia’s vast scam empire and its alleged financial beneficiaries in Thailand. As a result, pressure is mounting on Bangkok to explain its role in a criminal web spanning borders, governments and billions of dollars in dirty money.

The crackdown began in Washington. On Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced the seizure of $15 billion in assets.

These assets were linked to Cambodian businessman Chen Zhi, head of the powerful Prince Holding Group, and an associate of both Hun Sen and his son, Prime Minister Hun Manet. U.S. authorities described the seizures as part of a sweeping global operation against organised fraud, cybercrime, and human trafficking.

FBI targets Chen Zhi with seizure of 15 billion dollars in global crackdown on Cambodian scams

According to FBI investigators, Chen Zhi’s business empire was a façade. Behind the glossy façade of real estate, casinos, and banking, they allege, lay a network of at least ten scam compounds. These compounds, spread across Cambodia, generated enormous illicit profits. Moreover, U.S. officials said the operations thrived under the “tacit protection” of senior Cambodian officials and military figures.

At the same time, British authorities moved in. Acting on U.S. intelligence, the U.K.’s National Crime Agency began freezing luxury London properties linked to the same network. Several were held by shell companies connected to Cambodian and Chinese nationals under Chen Zhi’s circle. According to London investigators, these properties served as key vehicles for laundering criminal proceeds through high-end real estate.

Meanwhile, the political reverberations reached Bangkok. Last week, Thai MP Rangsiman Rome stood in parliament and dropped a political bombshell. He accused Bangkok financier Benjamin Smith of ties to the Cambodian scam industry.

U.S. congressional documents name Smith in fraud networks with possible Thai political links

At the same time, U.S. congressional documents have surfaced naming Smith in connection with Southeast Asia’s online fraud networks. Furthermore, there have been allegations that Smith may have personal links to Deputy Prime Minister Thamanat Prompow and Narumon Pinyosinwat, the Minister of Education and leader of the Kla Tham Party.

That party forms the second-largest bloc in Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s coalition. Both men denied wrongdoing, yet questions are intensifying. Certainly, Deputy Prime Minister Thamanat has ruled out any substantive links with Mr. Ben Smith or Benjamin Mauerberger, in addition to the sprawling Cambodian scam networks. Indeed, defining himself in parliament, Mr. Thamanat described himself as a person who has fought for a crackdown on the industry.

As Washington and London tightened the screws, Seoul made its move. The South Korean government launched an unprecedented intervention. It announced the creation of a “special response team” and immediately dispatched senior officials to Phnom Penh. The team, led by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Ji-na, includes representatives from the police, intelligence, and foreign ministries. Their mission: to locate missing South Korean nationals, demand justice for victims, and repatriate those trapped in Cambodian detention.

South Korea deploys special response team to Cambodia amid reports of missing nationals

For years, South Korea has been tracking a disturbing trend. Increasingly, young Koreans are being lured to Cambodia by online job ads promising high salaries. However, once they arrive, their passports are confiscated, and they are forced to work in scam compounds under threat of violence. Between January and August 2025, Seoul recorded more than 330 such cases — a staggering jump from only 17 in 2022 and 220 in 2024.

According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the relocation of criminal groups from the Golden Triangle — where Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand intersect — has turned Cambodia into the region’s new criminal heartland. After regional militaries tightened control over the area in 2023, syndicates shifted south to take advantage of Cambodia’s weak law enforcement and pervasive corruption. To confront this crisis, South Korea plans to establish a permanent “Korean Desk” in Cambodian police stations. This special unit would handle cases involving Korean victims and suspects directly.

Korean police confirm slow cooperation from Cambodian authorities in handling citizen cases

Acting Police Commissioner Yoo Jae-sung confirmed the plan, though he admitted that cooperation with Cambodian authorities remains “slow and inconsistent.” He added that Korean police have repeatedly requested access to case files, autopsy reports, and detained citizens, only to be told such requests must pass through cumbersome legal channels.

One case in particular has outraged the Korean public. In August, a twenty-two-year-old university student, Park, was found dead in Kampot Province. Park had told his family he was travelling to Cambodia for a job fair. Three weeks later, he was dead. His captors had demanded a ransom of fifty million won — about ฿1.2 million — before torturing him to death. The autopsy listed “acute heart failure” brought on by prolonged torture. Cambodian police later arrested three Chinese nationals and rescued fourteen Korean victims from the same compound. However, Park’s family has still not received his body. Authorities claim the autopsy remains incomplete, fueling anger in Seoul. “It is unthinkable,” said a South Korean lawmaker. “A Korean citizen was tortured to death, and the Cambodian government cannot even release his remains.”

Human rights investigators expose Chinese gangs exploiting thousands of workers in Cambodia

Human rights investigators later confirmed that the Kampot compound was part of a network of more than twenty Chinese criminal gangs. Together, these gangs control at least twenty thousand workers in Cambodia. Victims endure beatings, electric shocks, forced confinement, and starvation. Many are coerced into working as online scammers, defrauding victims across Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Washington’s new investigation names Chen Zhi as the central figure. According to the U.S. Treasury, Chen’s conglomerate moved billions through casinos, crypto exchanges, and offshore accounts in Hong Kong and Dubai. His group is accused of funding scam operations disguised as call centres, casinos, and tech parks. In Cambodia, Chen’s influence has shielded him for years. However, the latest international action may finally pierce that protection.

In Seoul, public outrage has grown into a national issue. On October 11, President Lee Jae-myung ordered a full government mobilisation. He vowed to “use every diplomatic and legal channel to protect South Korean citizens abroad.”

South Korea issues a travel advisory and pushes for stronger intervention in Cambodia by external powers

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs simultaneously issued a special travel advisory for Cambodia, warning citizens to avoid all non-essential travel. Officials urged the public not to respond to overseas job offers without verifying legitimacy through local embassies. Furthermore, opposition voices have demanded tougher action. Cho Yong-sol, spokesman for the conservative People’s Power Party, urged direct intervention. He said the government should deploy police officers to Cambodia and cooperate with Interpol, rather than relying solely on diplomacy. “We must not allow another young Korean to die because of bureaucratic delays,” he said.

Despite these moves, cooperation between Seoul and Phnom Penh remains strained. Acting Police Commissioner Yoo Jae-sung admitted that progress has been slow. He said the KNPA would pursue all possible avenues, including diplomatic pressure and international law enforcement networks. “If there are channels of pressure through organisations like Interpol,” Yoo said, “we will take action.”

In addition, the Korean National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee has announced a fact-finding mission to Cambodia. The committee will meet at the South Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh on October 22 to review ongoing investigations, monitor the safety of Korean nationals, and push for repatriations.

Cambodian authorities charge murder suspects and continue limited rescues amid Seoul scrutiny

Meanwhile, Cambodian police claim they are cooperating. On October 13, authorities charged three Chinese suspects with murder over the death of student Park. They also reported the rescue of two more Korean victims from Sihanoukville earlier this month. Nevertheless, Seoul says these limited moves fall far short of what is needed.

The South Korean task force that arrived in Phnom Penh this week includes senior officials from the Ministry of Justice and the National Intelligence Service. They are expected to press for joint investigations and greater access to detained nationals. Their agenda also includes negotiating the repatriation of sixty-three South Koreans currently in Cambodian custody. Some are accused of voluntarily joining the scams, while others insist they were victims. Repatriation, however, is uncertain. Several detainees have reportedly chosen to remain in Cambodia, fearing prosecution at home.

South Korean intelligence sources estimate that at least eighty nationals remain missing in Cambodia. Some are believed to have been kidnapped, others forced into scam work. A smaller number may have deliberately severed contact to evade detection.

Seoul considers appointing a former ambassador to Lebanon as a special envoy to coordinate operations

To handle the growing crisis, Seoul is now considering appointing former ambassador to Lebanon, Park Il, as special envoy to Cambodia. His appointment would fill a long-vacant ambassadorial post and coordinate all Korean operations in the country.

Back in Washington, U.S. officials said the crackdown on Chen Zhi’s assets is part of a broader international effort. They described Cambodia’s scam economy as “one of the most sophisticated transnational crime networks in the world.” Analysts estimate its total value at more than six hundred billion baht — several times larger than Cambodia’s official GDP. The industry’s profits, they say, depend on corruption, human trafficking, and financial secrecy.

According to an FBI briefing, funds from Cambodian scam centres were laundered through cryptocurrency platforms, shell companies, and luxury investments in London, Singapore, and Dubai. Investigators said they have traced over one hundred transactions directly to accounts controlled by Chen Zhi and his associates.

Cambodia ignores repeated warnings as scam centres persist despite occasional raids just for show

Western diplomats say Cambodia’s government has ignored repeated warnings about the scam compounds. Despite occasional raids and high-profile arrests, many operators quickly resume business under new names. Rights groups argue that corruption has made real reform impossible. “The scam centres exist because the government allows them to,” said one regional human rights expert. “They generate enormous revenue and employ thousands under brutal conditions.”

Prime Minister Hun Manet has pledged reform but has offered few concrete steps. Officials close to him continue to deny that Prince Holding Group or its affiliates are involved in criminal activity. Nonetheless, U.S. and U.K. sanctions have now targeted several senior Cambodian officials believed to have facilitated the operations.

As the investigation expands, Thailand faces new scrutiny. Financial watchdogs believe Thai banks and intermediaries helped move money from Cambodia to offshore accounts. Critics say Bangkok’s financial system has long served as a gateway for laundering illicit Southeast Asian capital. Consequently, Thai regulators are now under pressure to act.

Global powers coordinate for the first time to target scam syndicates in Southeast Asia, particularly Cambodia

The unfolding crackdown represents a rare moment of unity between Washington, London, and Seoul. For the first time, three major powers are coordinating directly against Southeast Asia’s scam syndicates.

However, experts caution that dismantling these networks will require persistent political will. The scam centres are deeply embedded in local economies and protected by powerful interests.

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Still, the tide may be turning. Each week brings new revelations, new arrests, and new pressure on those who have long profited from exploitation. For the victims — from young students to desperate jobseekers — justice may finally be approaching. Yet for Cambodia’s ruling elite and their financial partners in Bangkok, the reckoning has only just begun.

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Further reading:

Ben Smith affair & allegations of links to Cambodian scam centres continues to rage in parliament 

Police deny knowledge of scammer links with money whizz Ben Smith. People’s Party MP insists its true

Defiant Rangsiman Rome warns he’s not just fighting a defamation case but for the future of Thailand

Ben Smith money fixer to the elite in Thailand lines up ฿100M defamation case against Rangsiman Rome

People’s Party firebrand MP warns of billions pouring into Thai markets and critical firms from Cambodia

Leader of deadly scam gang in Cambodia and henchmen still at large with 4 more Thais arrested

Police in Cambodia close in on fake scam loan app leadership after family murders in Samut Prakan

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