Cambodia is gathering evidence against suspected cyber-scam leaders, anti-scam minister Chhay Sinarith told Reuters, saying legal action requires time and evidence. Analysts say the year-long crackdown has not reached senior figures and industry protectors.
Chhay said international partners' information helped authorities act against some suspects, and early disclosure could cause suspects to flee. Last month, he said the crackdown had eradicated large-scale scam compounds, but authorities have not provided a full list of raided sites. TRM Labs analyst John Wojcik said many large compounds remain active and technology, payment systems, money-laundering networks and facilitators behind the industry continue operating at scale. The US said scam compounds in the region stole $10 billion from Americans alone in 2024. Southeast Asian scam-centre workers are trafficked, detained in grim conditions and forced to defraud people online.
Chhay said authorities are expanding an investigation into Prince Group's financial network. The US alleges the Cambodia-based conglomerate was a front for multi-billion-dollar online fraud and money laundering; its founder, Chen Zhi, was arrested and deported from Cambodia to China earlier this year. Cambodian authorities identified two facilities outside Phnom Penh as Prince Group scam centres, and officials said they housed thousands of workers. One had a fake Singaporean police station allegedly used for impersonation fraud.
