Scam centers in Cambodia
 | This article may incorporate text from a large language model. (July 2025) |
 Sihanoukville SEZ hosts scam centers in casinos, hotels, offices, and residences. | |
| Founded | Circa 2021 |
|---|---|
| Years active | 2021-present |
| Territory |  Cambodia : Sihanoukville, Phnom Penh, Bavet municipality, etc. |
| Activities | Cybercrime, online fraud, human trafficking, forced labor, torture |
| Allies | Various triads and transnational criminal networks |
Scam centers in Cambodia refer to clandestine fraud operations, commonly known as scam centers, controlled by international, organized criminal networks specializing in online fraud and operating in Cambodia.
Their activities are estimated to generate between $12.5 and $19 billion annually, a figure that could represent up to 60% of the country’s gross domestic product.
According to a United Nations report published in 2024, between 100,000 and 150,000 people—mostly foreign nationals recruited through fake job advertisements—are believed to be detained in these compounds and forced to carry out online scams. Several non-governmental organizations and eyewitness accounts report cases of human trafficking, forced labor, torture, child exploitation, and other forms of abuse.
Although these centers operate in violation of Cambodian law, they are reportedly based in casinos, hotels, office buildings, or residential areas, including downtown Phnom Penh and the capital itself. According to various NGO and international institutional reports, they appear to benefit from a degree of impunity, or even complicity from certain local officials.
History
[edit]Context
[edit]Since the Khmer Rouge regime under Pol Pot, Cambodia has been plagued by systemic and persistent corruption, which has continued even after the formal establishment of a democratic regime.[1] In 2024, the country ranked 22nd among the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.[2]
The rise to power of Hun Sen in 1988, followed by his son Hun Manet in 2023, has been marked by a strengthening of executive authority, centralization of economic resources in the hands of political elites, and the development of close ties between certain government officials and criminal networks operating in Southeast Asia—particularly in gambling, casinos, and human trafficking.[3]
The U.S. State Department has regularly condemned the systematic complicity of Cambodian authorities with these groups, claiming they protect them and benefit financially from their operations.[4][5][6]
This context has fostered a favorable environment for the establishment of transnational criminal networks, including Chinese triads fleeing intensifying repression in China since 2018, particularly in special economic zones like Sihanoukville.[1]
Turning point during the COVID-19 Pandemic
[edit]Initially concentrated in the casino sector, criminal networks operating in Cambodia were severely impacted by two major events: the 2019 adoption of a law tightening gambling regulations—specifically banning online gambling—and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which led to a sharp decline in tourism, especially from China.[1][7]
Faced with economic losses, mafia organizations involved in the casino industry began collaborating with long-standing human trafficking networks in the country and gradually shifted their operations to online scams and the exploitation of forced labor.[1]
First documented cases (2021)
[edit]Starting in 2021, several establishments previously linked to online gambling—such as casinos and hotels, including in urban centers—were converted into online scam compounds.[1][8]
That same year, videos filmed inside certain scam compounds showing employees subjected to physical abuse and torture were made public, drawing international media attention and concern.[9]
Crackdown from 2022
[edit]In 2022, several police operations were conducted in scam compounds across the country.[10] Further raids took place in Sihanoukville in 2024, resulting in the arrest of 450 individuals involved in online gambling and scam operations.[11]
However, these operations did not succeed in dismantling these networks permanently or ending ongoing allegations of government complicity and tolerance, which have been denounced by numerous NGOs and international institutions.[12][13]
In June 2025, a report by Amnesty International brought renewed global media attention to the situation in Cambodian scam compounds.[14][15][16][17]
Following the report’s publication, the Prime Minister announced in July 2025 the creation of a “task force” dedicated to combating online scam centers.[18]
Figures and statistics
[edit]Revenue
[edit]According to the United States Institute of Peace and consulting firm Humanity Research Consulting, the scam compound industry generates between $12.5 and $19 billion annually, which equates to more than half of Cambodia’s gross domestic product.[15][19][20][21]
Number of forced workers
[edit]According to the UN and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), between 100,000 and 150,000 people are exploited in scam compounds in Cambodia.[2][22] Most of them are from China and other Southeast Asian countries. African nationals and children are also among the victims of these trafficking and recruitment networks.[23][24]
Number of compounds
[edit]In a report published in June 2025, Amnesty International stated that it had identified at least 53 active scam compounds across 13 different areas in Cambodia.[14][25]
The special economic zone of Sihanoukville is home to many of these centers, located in hotels, casinos, office buildings, and residential neighborhoods.[11] Similar compounds exist in the capital Phnom Penh and in other special economic zones like Pailin, Anlong Veng, O Smach, Kandal, Pursat, Bavet, and Kampot.[18]
Number of scam victims
[edit]Estimating the total number of victims is difficult, as many do not report their cases to authorities out of shame, fear of retaliation, or lack of legal recourse.
Most scam victims are Chinese nationals, but U.S. citizens and individuals from other countries have also been affected.[2][26]
A report from the Global Anti-Scam Organization indicates that at least 1,838 people of 46 nationalities have lost an average of $169,000 each through so-called pig butchering scams.[8]
Operating methods
[edit]Recruitment
[edit]Criminal networks lure victims through fake job advertisements posted on platforms like Facebook, Telegram, or WeChat. These ads promise well-paying office jobs at fake e-commerce or tech companies based in Cambodia.[8][9][14]
Upon arrival, victims are often stripped of their identity documents, forcibly relocated, and detained in scam centers against their will.[27][28]
Pig butchering and romance fraud
[edit]Scam compounds heavily rely on the pig butchering scam, a romance fraud where the scammer poses as a romantic partner and builds an online relationship with the victim over several weeks or months.
They use stolen photos from Chinese social media and create fake profiles on platforms like LinkedIn, OkCupid, Tinder, Instagram, or WhatsApp.[8]
Once trust is established, the victim is persuaded to invest in a fraudulent financial scheme, often involving cryptocurrency or fake trading platforms.[29]
Government responsibility
[edit]Accusations of complicity from NGOs and international institutions
[edit]Despite several police operations in 2022, many observers believe the underground industry continues to thrive due to protection from powerful businesspeople connected to senior Cambodian officials.[30]
In 2024, the U.S. State Department publicly accused the Cambodian government of systematic complicity with criminal networks tied to casinos and scam compounds.[6]
Amnesty International echoed this accusation in its June 2025 report, stating that scam centers benefit from official complicity.[31]
Links to relatives of Prime ministers Hun Sen and Hun Manet
[edit]A ProPublica investigation also revealed that one of the most notorious scam compounds, the White Sand Palace in Sihanoukville, is located near the summer residence of Prime Minister Hun Manet.[8][32]
Cambodian tycoon Ly Yong Phat, former special economic adviser to ex-Prime Minister Hun Sen and father of the current Prime minister, was sanctioned by the United States in September 2024 for human rights abuses related to forced labor in online investment scams.[24][33]
The Huione Group, a conglomerate whose main shareholder is Hun To, cousin of Prime Minister Hun Manet, has been accused of enabling its marketplace to be used for illegal transactions since 2021—estimated to total $24 billion. It is considered the world’s largest illegal platform of its kind according to multiple investigations.[2][34]
Media repression
[edit]Cambodian journalist Mech Dara, who investigated these networks, announced in 2024 that he was quitting journalism after being arrested by authorities during his investigation.[2][35]
Several other Cambodian journalists who have reported on scam compounds also claim to have been targeted with retaliation and intimidation.[36]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e McDaniel, Noah (2022-12-12). "A Case Study of Cambodia as an Emerging Center of Modern Human Trafficking and Organized Crime" (PDF). George Mason University. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ a b c d e "Is Cambodia serious about ending organized cyberscams? – DW – 03/16/2025". dw.com. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Cambodia: 30 Years of Hun Sen Violence, Repression | Human Rights Watch". 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Cambodia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Cambodia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ a b "Cambodia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Inside the 'living hell' of Cambodia's scam operations". France 24. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ a b c d e Liu, Cezary Podkul,Cindy (2022-09-13). "Human Trafficking's Newest Abuse: Forcing Victims Into Cyberscamming". ProPublica. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Boyle, Mary Ann Jolley,David. "Meet Cambodia's cyber slaves". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Cambodian police raid alleged cybercrime trafficking compounds". Reuters. 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ a b "Cambodia: Chinese-linked scam industry persists in Sihanoukville despite raids". Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "'Mass scale' abuses in Cambodia scam centres: Amnesty". France 24. 2025-06-26. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Southern, Lindsey Kennedy,Nathan Paul. "'Just as scared': Cyberscam victims in Cambodia find no freedom in rescue". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c ""I Was Someone Else's Property": Slavery, Human Trafficking and Torture in Cambodia's Scamming Compounds". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ a b Mcpherson, Poppy (2025-06-26). "Amnesty says Cambodia is enabling brutal scam industry". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "'Mass scale' abuses in Cambodia scam centres: Amnesty". RFI. 2025-06-26. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Cambodia allows slavery in over 50 scam compounds: Amnesty". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ a b "Cambodia: Phnom Penh Administration establishes Anti-Scam Task Force tasked with combating cyber-scams after reports of widespread scam operations". Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Transnational Crime in Southeast Asia: A Growing Threat to Global Peace and Security". United States Institute of Peace. Archived from the original on 2025-07-06. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 - More or Less: Behind the Stats, Do 'pig butchering' cyber scams make as much as half Cambodia's GDP?". BBC. 2024-06-22. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Policies and Patterns: State-Abetted Transnational Crime in Cambodia as a Global Security Threat | Humanity Research Consultancy". humanity-consultancy.com. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Human Rights Watch (2025-01-05), "Cambodia: Events of 2024", Share this via Facebook, retrieved 2025-07-17
- ^ "Cambodian government allows slavery and torture to flourish inside scamming compounds". Amnesty International. 2025-06-26. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ a b "Comment la mafia chinoise séquestre des Africains pour arnaquer des Occidentaux" (in French). 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Scam compounds labeled a 'living nightmare' as Cambodian government accused of turning a blind eye". therecord.media. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Kowsmann, Patricia. "Inside the Online Marketplaces That Enable 'Pig Butchering' Scams". WSJ. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Human trafficking and forced labour in Cambodia's cyber-scam industry". ASEAN–Australia Counter Trafficking. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Cambodia scams: Lured and trapped into slavery in South East Asia". BBC News. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ Naing, Shoon (2025-03-05). "What are Southeast Asia's scam centres, and why are they being dismantled?". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Wee, Sui-Lee (2023-08-28). "They're Forced to Run Online Scams. Their Captors Are Untouchable". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Cambodia Allowing Abuses to Flourish in Online Scam Compounds, Rights Group Says". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Dara, Mech (2022-09-19). "Eerie Silence Descends on Notorious Sihanoukville Scam Compounds". VOD. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "Imposing Sanctions on Human Traffickers and Online Investment Scam Operations in Cambodia". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Greenberg, Andy. "The $11 Billion Marketplace Enabling the Crypto Scam Economy". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Ratcliffe, Rebecca (2024-10-24). "Journalist who exposed Cambodia's scam industry released by authorities". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ "In Cambodia, reporting on illegal scam centers brings threats". Voice of America. 2024-07-06. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
External links
[edit]- "Cambodia: 'I was someone else's property': slavery, human trafficking and torture in Cambodia's scamming compounds". Amnesty International. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
