Cambodia is intensifying its nationwide campaign against online scams, with Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet inspecting former scam operation sites in Koh Kong province on September 5, 2026. The visit came as the Royal Government continues a crackdown launched in July 2025 to dismantle criminal networks, restore security and address concerns over Cambodia’s international reputation.
During the inspection, the Prime Minister visited former hotspots including the Dara Sakor Development Area and other suspected locations where transnational fraud syndicates had previously operated. According to the state news agency Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP), authorities have already cleared 86 major scam compounds and dismantled 663 locations nationwide, while investigations, monitoring and inspections continue.
“The Royal Government’s campaign is moving beyond closing scam compounds to securing former hotspots, pursuing criminal networks, freezing suspected assets and strengthening international cooperation. With hundreds of locations dismantled, thousands of suspects facing judicial proceedings and more than 22,000 foreign nationals repatriated, the government says its objective is to prevent Cambodia from becoming a safe haven for online fraud. The effort also carries an important economic message: restoring security and confidence is intended to support legitimate investment, tourism, lawful business activity and sustainable development in affected communities. The continued inspections and legal action indicate that authorities are seeking not only to remove existing criminal operations but also to prevent their return through stronger enforcement, technology management and international cooperation.
Government Signals a Zero Tolerance Approach to Online Scams
The nationwide crackdown began in July 2025 as part of a broader effort to restore security and national dignity. Since then, authorities have targeted scam compounds and smaller locations believed to have been connected to online fraud networks, while continuing investigations and inspections at suspected sites.
The government says the mission is not finished despite the large number of locations already dismantled. Security forces are continuing to monitor and inspect suspected sites, with the stated aim of closing potential loopholes that could allow criminal groups to return. The approach reflects a shift from simply shutting down individual operations toward maintaining sustained control over locations that have previously been used by organised criminal networks.
Koh Kong Becomes a Focus of the Crackdown
The Prime Minister’s inspection in Koh Kong focused on former scam hotspots, including the Dara Sakor Development Area and other locations suspected of having hosted transnational fraud operations. Authorities said the identified sites have been shut down and that both major compounds and smaller network locations have been dismantled.
Technology equipment used in the operations has also been confiscated, while legal procedures have been initiated for the seizure of relevant assets. The measures demonstrate that the campaign is addressing both the physical locations used by criminal groups and the resources associated with their activities.
Security Measures Aim to Prevent Scam Operations From Returning
According to the government, full security control has been established at the affected locations, with authorities maintaining 24 hour monitoring. The objective is to ensure that criminal operations do not quietly return after compounds have been closed.
This continuing oversight is significant because permanently removing criminal networks requires more than closing buildings or confiscating equipment. Authorities are also seeking to strengthen legal mechanisms, improve technological security management and maintain international cooperation. Together, these measures are intended to reduce the possibility that former scam sites could once again become bases for illegal activity.
663 Locations Have Been Targeted Since July 2025
The government reports that its nationwide campaign has resulted in action against 663 locations since July 2025. Of those, 86 major scam compounds have been closed and are now subject to legal seizure proceedings.
Authorities also report that more than US$300 million held in bank accounts has been frozen, while additional assets are undergoing evaluation. The financial component of the crackdown is important because targeting the money and property connected to criminal networks can potentially disrupt their ability to reorganise after individual operations have been shut down.
Thousands of Suspects Face Judicial Proceedings
The crackdown has also resulted in 446 cases involving 3,927 suspects from 29 nationalities being placed under judicial proceedings. According to the government, the cases include alleged masterminds and accomplices involved in the criminal networks.
Legal action has also extended to officials. Authorities have taken measures against 15 officials across four cases, including a deputy prosecutor, a deputy director general of immigration, a deputy police commissioner of Phnom Penh, a former director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as several police and military officers.
The involvement of officials in the reported cases highlights the government’s stated intention to pursue suspected wrongdoing beyond the operators of scam compounds themselves. It also signals that enforcement is being presented as a broader institutional effort rather than solely an operation against private criminal groups.
More Than 22,000 Foreign Nationals Repatriated
The campaign has also involved the repatriation of more than 22,000 foreign nationals from 38 countries through legal procedures and human rights standards. The government said the process has been carried out in cooperation with relevant embassies.
According to the government, those individuals were rescued from illegal labour, exploitation and inhumane treatment allegedly linked to foreign criminal masterminds. The repatriation effort therefore forms another part of the campaign, alongside law enforcement, asset investigations and the dismantling of physical scam locations.
Restoring Investor Confidence Is a Key Economic Goal
The crackdown has implications beyond law enforcement. The government says stronger security control is intended to restore investor confidence, maintain a legal business environment, support tourism and promote sustainable economic development in local communities.
For legitimate businesses and investors, confidence in the security and integrity of a location is an important part of the investment environment. Former areas associated with criminal activity may face reputational challenges even after illegal operations have been removed. Demonstrating sustained enforcement and security control could therefore be important in rebuilding perceptions of these areas and encouraging legitimate economic activity.
Tourism and Local Development Could Benefit From Greater Security
Koh Kong and other affected areas have economic potential linked to tourism, investment and local development. The government’s emphasis on restoring security and preventing the return of criminal operations is therefore also connected to its wider objective of creating conditions for legitimate businesses and communities to develop.
A safer and more predictable environment can provide a stronger foundation for tourism operators, investors, local enterprises and other businesses. However, rebuilding confidence is likely to depend not only on closing former scam sites but also on demonstrating that effective oversight, legal enforcement and legitimate development continue over the long term.
Cambodia Wants to Send a Message to the International Community
The Prime Minister’s direct inspection of former scam locations is being presented by the Royal Government as a visible demonstration of political commitment. The government says the visit sends a clear message that Cambodia will not allow its territory to become a haven for online fraud criminals.
That message is particularly relevant as Cambodia works to strengthen its international reputation as a destination for legitimate tourism and investment. Tackling online scams has become both a domestic security priority and an issue with wider implications for the country’s international image. Continued enforcement could therefore play a role in rebuilding confidence among foreign visitors, investors and international business partners.
The Next Challenge Is Preventing Criminal Networks From Reappearing
Dismantling existing scam compounds represents a major enforcement step, but preventing their return may prove equally important. Criminal networks can adapt, relocate and change their methods, making continued monitoring and international cooperation essential.
The government says Cambodia is responding by strengthening legal mechanisms, improving technological security management and deepening cooperation with international partners. The stated objective is not simply to close today’s scam operations, but to create conditions in which similar networks cannot easily establish themselves again.
Cambodia’s Crackdown Moves Into a Longer Term Phase
The inspection of former scam sites in Koh Kong comes as Cambodia’s nationwide campaign moves from large scale dismantling toward continued enforcement, monitoring and prevention. With 663 locations targeted, 86 major compounds closed, more than US$300 million in bank accounts frozen and thousands of suspects facing judicial proceedings, the government is presenting the campaign as a sustained national effort.
For Cambodia’s business and tourism sectors, the longer term measure of success will be whether these enforcement actions translate into stronger public security, greater international confidence and more space for legitimate investment and economic activity. The government’s message is clear: former criminal hubs are not intended to become permanent symbols of Cambodia’s digital crime problem, but locations where stronger oversight can support a return to lawful development.
The broader challenge now is maintaining that progress. If Cambodia succeeds in combining enforcement with stronger institutions, international cooperation, technological safeguards and legitimate economic development, the campaign could contribute not only to combating online fraud but also to strengthening the country’s reputation as a safer destination for visitors, investors and businesses.