Cambodia’s claim to have ended scam compounds met with scepticism

What the report says

Cambodia has said it has shut down all of the scam compounds that helped turn the country into a regional centre for cybercrime, but the claim has drawn scepticism from Amnesty International and anti-trafficking experts, according to Al Jazeera. The government said Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith, who leads the ad hoc Commission for Combating Online Scams, told foreign diplomats and international officials in Phnom Penh that large-scale scam activity was now under control and no online scam compounds remained.

Al Jazeera reported that the statement credited the alleged cleanup to enforcement action, legal measures and a growing cybersecurity framework. It also said authorities acknowledged that criminal groups have shifted into more dispersed settings, including guesthouses, condominiums, rented homes, vehicles and coffee shops, which officials say will remain under surveillance. Reuters, cited by Al Jazeera, said it could not independently verify the eradication claim.

The report noted that the scam-compound model, often linked to Chinese criminal networks, has expanded across parts of Southeast Asia since the pandemic, including Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and border areas near Thailand and Myanmar. Amnesty’s Montse Ferrer said success should be judged by whether organizers are investigated and prevented from resuming operations. Independent consultant Mark Taylor also said there were signs that significant scam activity and foreign-worker recruitment were still continuing.

Cambodian authorities said they investigated 793 suspected sites and raided 624 between July 2025 and August 20, 2026, detaining nearly 30,000 suspects, while more than 58,000 foreign nationals were rescued and deported.