Phnom Penh, Aug 29 (V7N) – Cambodia has closed more than 700 online scam centres over the past year, detaining nearly 30,000 suspects including 15 high-ranking officials and law enforcement officers, in a major crackdown on the cybercrime industry that has made the country a regional hub for fraudulent schemes.

A government statement on Friday said authorities have cleared more than 700 compounds and deported 58,266 foreign nationals over the past year. More than 3,400 suspects from 29 nationalities, including citizens from China, Vietnam, Australia, France, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand, are currently in custody awaiting trial.

The Southeast Asian country has emerged as a hub for crime syndicates running fake romantic relationship and cryptocurrency investment schemes, in which scammers—some willing, others trafficked—defraud internet users around the world. Under pressure from several countries including the United States and China, Cambodian authorities say they are cracking down on the industry.

"Although large-scale sites have been completely cleared, criminal groups have altered their tactics to decentralised, small-scale activities, hiding in guesthouses, condominiums, rental houses, vehicles, and coffee shops," the government said, warning that the scourge of cybercrime remains a significant challenge.

In January, Cambodia extradited alleged scam boss Chen Zhi, the Chinese-born chairman of multi-billion-dollar Cambodian conglomerate Prince Holding Group, to China after he was sanctioned by the US and UK governments. In April, Cambodia also extradited to China Li Xiong, the Chinese-born former chairman of Huione Group, whom Beijing accuses of playing a key role in a major transnational gambling and fraud syndicate.

The crackdown comes after the United States placed Cambodia on its Tier 2 Watch List for human trafficking in 2025, and as international pressure mounts to dismantle the scam compounds that have thrived in the country's border regions. Cambodian authorities have said they are working with international partners to pursue those involved in the criminal networks and have urged the public to remain vigilant against evolving scam tactics.

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