Two-thirds of scam compounds bypassed in Cambodia

Cambodia’s high-profile crackdown on scam operations this year triggered a mass exodus from compounds around the country. However, a new report by Amnesty International has cast doubt on its impact on the illicit industry with the NGO saying authorities had failed to properly dismantle the “vast majority” of scam sites in the country. It said the government had also failed to identify and support thousands of trafficking survivors subjected to “torture and slavery”. “More than 70 per cent of the compounds identified by Amnesty appear

to have been bypassed by the crackdown, while ineffective police interventions at other compounds have missed victims and left them facing horrific abuses — all as the government applauds its own work,” Amnesty International’s co-regional director Montse Ferrer said. The Cambodian government has rejected Amnesty’s report, saying the crackdown had targeted more than 250 scam operations and “achieved remarkable results”. Billions being stolen Scam operations have proliferated in Cambodia since the COVID pandemic, with estimates putting the annual earnings in the billions per year. The

operations are typically overseen by Chinese syndicates and run out of fortified casinos or large specially constructed compounds employing thousands of workers in call-centre-style offices. According to Australia’s National Anti-Scam Centre, Australians lost $2.18 billion to scams in 2025. It’s unclear how many of those scams originated in Cambodia, however evidence uncovered at a scam centre on the Cambodia—Thai border recently confirmed Australians were among those being targeted. In the past, the Cambodian government has been accused of being complicit in the industry and mounting

crackdowns just for show. However, the latest effort that began about a year ago and ramped up in January came amid growing international pressure and reputational damage affecting the critical tourism industry. After vowing in March to eliminate the scam industry by the end of April, Prime Minister Hun Manet last week reiterated his commitment to continue the crackdown. Chhay Sinarith, the senior minister in charge of combating online scams, told Reuters nearly 1,500 suspects from 19 countries had been charged. Nearly 19,000 foreigners had

been deported and some 290,000 had voluntarily left, he said. However, Amnesty said of 86 scam sites it had identified, there was evidence of state intervention at only 24 by the end of April. It said there was also evidence of mass releases and escapes at seven more compounds. Andrew Witheford, Amnesty International Australia’s strategic campaigner, said the NGO shared its findings and scam compounds’ locations with the government at the end of April, but they did not respond. “Even with our assessment noting that

the government continues to take action, we have very little evidence to show they intervened at around 60 locations, despite having been aware of these locations, in some cases for many years,” he said. Mistreatment of trafficking victims The most visible effect of the crackdown has been a mass exodus of foreign workers, with thousands left stranded and unable to return home. It’s been described as a “humanitarian disaster”. Many say they were lured to Cambodia with legitimate jobs and subjected to beatings and torture.

Amnesty’s report said that instead of identifying and supporting these trafficking victims, Cambodian authorities had treated them as “irregular migrants”. They were routinely detained in substandard immigration detention facilities without access to lawyers or embassies and charged visa overstay fees, it said. None of the more than 70 survivors interviewed by Amnesty had been identified as a trafficking victim by the government, the report said. Mr Witheford said there was only one government-approved shelter for victims of human trafficking in Cambodia and it was over

capacity. “We estimate there are thousands of victims who do not have access to that shelter,” he said. He said victims denied shelter had reported becoming unwell and even being raped. “Australia should do more to support Cambodian civil society to raise awareness of the compounds, and to assist the people rescued, who are victims of human trafficking,” he said. A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the AFP-led Operation Firestorm was continuing to identify and disrupt offshore scam centres. Australia

shared information with international partners including Cambodia to combat the cyber scams and protect scam victims and survivors, the spokesperson said. “In addition, Australia is regularly making representations to the Cambodian government, urging they continue to strengthen their actions in eradicating scam centres in their country.” Tens of thousands of scam workers ‘rescued’ In a statement, Ministry of Interior spokesperson Touch Sokhak told the ABC claims the effort had failed “reflect a political narrative promoted by some groups that … misrepresent the situation”. However, he

said tens of thousands of scam workers were “rescued” and sent home. “This practice is done with the utmost care in accordance with the law and has good cooperation with their own countries,” he said. Mr Touch said ringleaders had been arrested and “several” senior officials involved in the scam operations had been fired or prosecuted. He also highlighted the efforts being made to continue stamping out the industry as many of the operations dispersed and reformed into smaller groups. Industry ‘reshuffling’ Scam industry expert

Ivan Franceschini said he believed the crackdown had resulted in the industry “reshuffling” rather than being eliminated. “Many operations were not actually raided, they simply packed up and relocated, first in-country and then outside,” said Dr Franceschini, who founded the NGO EOS Collective to research the scam industry and support trafficking victims. Authorities in other countries, including Sri Lanka and Vietnam, have noted an increase in reports of scam operations in recent months. “In general, I think this is the biggest and most widespread action

undertaken by the Cambodian authorities to date and that it is unlikely that things will go back to the status quo ante,” Dr Franceschini said. “I would also emphasise that without proper victim identification and support, this leaves the industry with a significant pool of desperate people they can prey upon as they look for new staff.” Transnational crime expert Jacob Sims said the crackdown appeared to have had some impact. However, he said the government had largely failed to target elite perpetrators publicly linked

to the industry for years. “Without sending a message of accountability to party-state elites, the whole thing looks from the outside like a cover-up operation,” he said. Amnesty’s Montse Ferrer said pressure from other world leaders was likely a primary driver for the crackdown.

Cambodia crackdown scam compounds Amnesty International Montse Ferrer Hun Manet Chhay Sinarith Touch Sokhak Operation Firestorm trafficking survivors