In a bold move against rampant cybercrime, Cambodian authorities, acting under the direct order of Prime Minister Hun Manet, carried out coordinated raids from June 27 to July 22 across 58 locations in Phnom Penh and 16 other provinces. The operations led to the arrest of 3,075 suspects, including 606 women, in one of the largest cybercrime crackdowns in Southeast Asia’s history.
The directive warned law enforcement and military officials of termination if they failed to act. This aggressive campaign came amid mounting criticism over the government’s past inaction against cybercriminal syndicates.
Inside the Scam Factories: Forced Labor, Crypto Frauds, and Digital Arrests
These cybercrime networks, many reportedly backed by Chinese organized crime groups, operated from sprawling compounds in Cambodia. Victims were lured with fake job offers, only to be enslaved, tortured, or even killed if they tried to escape.
The UN estimates more than 100,000 individuals are currently trapped in such conditions across Cambodia, powering global scams involving fake investment schemes, crypto frauds, romance traps, and government impersonation rackets. Several operations posed as law enforcement—conducting “digital arrests” over fake charges to extort payments from unsuspecting targets.
The Global Footprint: Indians, Chinese, Pakistanis Among the Arrested
The scam networks were international in composition. Among those detained were:
- 1,028 Chinese
- 693 Vietnamese
- 366 Indonesians
- 105 Indians
- 101 Bangladeshis
Citizens from Korea, Thailand, Nepal, Pakistan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos, Russia, Nigeria, Myanmar, and more. Authorities also seized digital devices used in the scams, including hundreds of mobile phones and computers. Indian officials had reportedly met their Cambodian counterparts to discuss cooperation, following past investigations that revealed syndicates looting ₹3,000 crores (approx. $360 million) from Indian investors.
Mounting Criticism, Human Rights Concerns, and Regional Tensions
While the government presents the crackdown as a major success, critics say it’s too little, too late. The U.S. had earlier imposed sanctions on Ly Yong Phat, a tycoon close to the Cambodian leadership, for links to cybercrime and forced labor.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has slammed Cambodia for ignoring abuses in more than 50 scamming compounds, citing slavery, torture, and child labor. The crackdown also coincides with growing border tensions between Cambodia and Thailand—further complicating international cooperation.
Despite government denials of wrongdoing, the operation has laid bare how Cambodia became the global hub of digital crime, with sophisticated networks exploiting desperate workers and defrauding victims worldwide.