Cambodia pledges intensified crackdown on online scam networks amid adaptation challenges

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet pledged to step up a crackdown on transnational online scam networks, but warned the criminal syndicates were adapting by fracturing into smaller, decentralised cells across the region.

Authorities had already shut down more than 670 illegal scam operations while expanding intelligence sharing with key international law enforcement partners, he said, including during a visit this week with US Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel.

“We will make Cambodia become an area that’s not easy or worth staying for scams,” Hun Manet said in an interview on Thursday.

Online scam centres have proliferated across Southeast Asia since the pandemic, turning Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos into hubs for criminal enterprises. Although local agencies have stepped up enforcement, rights groups suggest the impact remains limited.

“It’s become more complex,” said Hun Manet. “Technology has allowed them to work in a decentralised manner.”