Scam centers in Cambodia are clandestine fraud operations, known as scam centers, controlled by international, organized criminal networks specializing in online fraud and operating in Cambodia. Their activities are estimated to generate between $12.5 and $19 billion annually, a figure that could represent up to 60% of the Cambodia's gross domestic product. According to a 2024 United Nations report between 100,000 and 150,000 people—mostly foreign nationals recruited through fake job advertisements—are believed to be detained in these Cambodian compounds and forced to carry out online scams.
Several non-governmental organizations and eyewitness accounts report cases of human trafficking, forced labor, torture, child exploitation, and other forms of abuse from Cambodian scam centers. While these centers operate in violation of Cambodian law, they are reportedly based in casinos, hotels, office buildings, or residential areas, including downtown Phnom Penh and the capital itself. According to various international reporting bodies, they appear to benefit from a degree of impunity, or even complicity, from certain local Cambodian officials.
History
Legacy of corruption
Since the Khmer Rouge regime under Pol Pot, Cambodia has been plagued by systemic and persistent corruption, which continued even after the formal establishment of a democratic regime.[1] In 2024, the country ranked 22nd among the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.[2]
The rise to power of Hun Sen in 1988, followed by his son Hun Manet in 2023, has been marked by a strengthening of executive authority, centralization of economic resources in the hands of political elites, and the development of close ties between certain government officials and criminal networks operating in Southeast Asia—particularly in gambling, casinos, and human trafficking.[3] The U.S. State Department has regularly condemned the systematic complicity of Cambodian authorities with these groups, claiming they protect them and benefit financially from their operations.[4][5][6]
This political environment has fostered a favorable environment for the establishment of transnational criminal networks, including Chinese triads fleeing intensifying repression in China since 2018, particularly in special economic zones like Sihanoukville.[1]
Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Historically concentrated in the casino sector, criminal networks operating in Cambodia were severely impacted by the 2019 adoption of a law tightening gambling regulations—specifically banning online gambling—and the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a sharp decline in tourism, especially from China.[1][7] Faced with economic losses, crime organizations involved in the Cambodian casino industry began collaborating with long-standing human trafficking networks in the country and gradually shifted their operations to online scams and the exploitation of forced labor.[1]
From 2021, several Cambodian establishments previously linked to online gambling—such as casinos and hotels (including some in major urban centers), were converted into online scam compounds.[1][8] That same year, videos filmed inside some scam compounds showing employees subjected to physical abuse and torture were made public, drawing international media attention and concern.[9]
Crackdown from 2022
In 2022, several Cambodian police operations were conducted against scam compounds across the country.[10] Further raids took place in Sihanoukville in 2024, resulting in the arrest of 450 individuals involved in online gambling and scam operations.[11] These operations did not succeed in permanently dismantling these networks or ending ongoing allegations of government complicity and tolerance, which have been denounced by numerous NGOs and international institutions.[12][13] In June 2025, a report by Amnesty International brought renewed global media attention on Cambodian scam compounds.[14][15][16][17] In July 2025, the Prime Minister announced a "task force" dedicated to combating online scam centers.[18]
Figures and statistics
Total revenue. According to the United States Institute of Peace and consulting firm Humanity Research Consulting, the Cambodian scam compound industry generates between $12.5 and $19 billion annually, which equates to more than half of Cambodia's gross domestic product.[15][19][20][21]
Number of forced workers. According to the UN and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), between 100,000 and 150,000 people are exploited in scam compounds in Cambodia.[2][22] Most of them are from China and other Southeast Asian countries. African nationals and children are also among the victims of these trafficking and recruitment networks.[23][24]
Number of scam victims. Estimating the total number of victims is difficult, as many do not report their cases to authorities out of shame, fear of retaliation, or lack of legal recourse. Most scam victims are Chinese nationals, but U.S. citizens and individuals from other countries have also been affected.[2][26] A report from the Global Anti-Scam Organization indicated that at over 1,838 people of from 46 nationalities have lost an average of $169,000 each through so-called pig butchering scams, many of which are operated from Cambodian scam-centers.[8]
Operating methods
Recruitment
Cambodian criminal networks lure victims through fake job advertisements posted on platforms like Facebook, Telegram, or WeChat. These ads promise well-paying office jobs at fake e-commerce or tech companies based in Cambodia.[8][9][14] Upon arrival to Cambodia, victims are often stripped of their identity documents, forcibly relocated, and detained in scam centers against their will.[27][28]
Cambodian scam compounds heavily rely on the pig butchering scam, a romance fraud where the scammer poses as a romantic partner and builds an online relationship with the victim over several weeks or months. They use stolen photos from Chinese social media and create fake profiles on platforms like LinkedIn, OkCupid, Tinder, Instagram, or WhatsApp.[8] Once trust is established, the victim is persuaded to invest in a fraudulent financial scheme, often involving cryptocurrency or fake trading platforms.[29]
Government responsibility
Accusations of complicity from NGOs and international institutions
Despite several CAmbodian police operations in 2022, many international observers believe the underground industry continues to thrive in Cambodia due to protection from powerful businesspeople connected to senior Cambodian officials.[30] In 2024, the U.S. State Department publicly accused the Cambodian government of systematic complicity with criminal networks tied to casinos and scam compounds.[6]Amnesty International echoed this accusation in its June 2025 report, stating that Cambodian scam centers benefit from official complicity.[31]
Links to relatives of Prime ministers Hun Sen and Hun Manet
A ProPublica investigation also revealed that one of the most notorious Cambodian scam compounds, the White Sand Palace in Sihanoukville, is located near the summer residence of Prime MinisterHun Manet.[8][32] Cambodian tycoon Ly Yong Phat, former special economic adviser to ex-Prime Minister Hun Sen and father of the current Prime minister, was sanctioned by the United States in September 2024 for human rights abuses related to forced labor in online investment scams.[24][33] The Huione Group, a conglomerate whose main shareholder is Hun To, cousin of Prime Minister Hun Manet, has been accused of enabling its marketplace to be used for illegal transactions since 2021—estimated to total $24 billion. It is considered the world’s largest illegal platform of its kind according to multiple investigations.[2][34]
Media repression
Cambodian journalist Mech Dara, who investigated the Cambodian scam-centre networks, announced in 2024 that he was quitting journalism after being arrested by Cambodian authorities during his investigation.[2][35] Several other Cambodian journalists who have reported on scam compounds also claim to have been targeted with retaliation and intimidation.[36]
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Cambodia : Sihanoukville, Phnom Penh, Bavet municipality, etc.
