Cambodia has come under fire after a new Amnesty International report revealed that cybercrime gangs are trafficking people from across the world, including children, into brutal scam compounds. These prison-like facilities, surrounded by razor wire and guarded by armed men, force victims to scam unsuspecting people online.
The report identified at least 53 active scam centres and several other suspected sites in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, and other parts of the country. Victims have described shocking abuses — electric baton torture, beatings, solitary confinement in dark rooms, and being denied medical care.
Amnesty’s Secretary General, Agnes Callamard, called the situation a “living nightmare,” accusing the Cambodian government of ignoring its duty to protect citizens and foreign nationals alike.
A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry Tied to Trafficking
According to the report, Cambodia’s scam industry has ballooned into a $12.5 billion-a-year operation, accounting for nearly half the country’s GDP. The explosive growth happened during the pandemic, when largely Chinese-run criminal networks turned empty casinos and hotels into scam hubs.
These gangs lure victims, often from poor regions or neighboring countries like Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, by posting fake job advertisements online. Once inside, victims are enslaved and forced to carry out online scams — including romance cons, cryptocurrency frauds, and “pig-butchering” schemes that build trust with victims before draining their savings.
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Government Denies Inaction, Critics Disagree
Cambodia’s government rejected Amnesty’s allegations of negligence. Government spokesperson Pen Bona cited a new task force, created in January 2025 under Prime Minister Hun Manet, to address scam syndicates. He labeled the Amnesty report “exaggerated” and insisted Cambodia itself was a victim of this international cybercrime network.
However, Amnesty noted that of the 53 scam compounds it identified, two-thirds had never been investigated, and even after police raids, many centres continued operating. In some cases, when victims called for help, police met with compound representatives outside and took away only the complainant — leaving others behind.
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Children Enslaved, Survivors Tell of Horror
Perhaps the most disturbing finding was the trafficking of children. Of 58 survivors interviewed by Amnesty, nine were minors, including a 16-year-old Chinese boy beaten and detained. Amnesty also confirmed the death of another child inside a compound.
Survivors recounted horrific experiences. An 18-year-old Thai man told Reuters how he was sold between compounds and forced to use deepfake videos to scam Thai women. After enduring abuse and isolation for nearly a year, he leaped out of a window and managed to escape.
Amnesty’s report paints a harrowing picture of modern slavery flourishing within Cambodia’s borders — and calls for urgent international pressure to protect the thousands still trapped inside these scam factories