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Cambodian authorities have shut down 200 suspected scam sites and detained more than 3,500 people in a nationwide cyberfraud crackdown, alongside mass departures of 130,000 individuals, and the implementation of new legal measures aimed at dismantling the country’s scam industry amid growing international scrutiny.
According to Information Ministry spokesperson Tep Asnarith, who quoted the Commission for Combating Online Scams (CCOS), said the Joint Command of the capital and provinces, together with relevant authorities, suppressed and shut down fraudulent activities conducted through technological systems at 190 locations between January 1 and early February, 2026. This includes 44 casinos in Preah Sihanouk, Kampot, Kandal, Svay Rieng, Phnom Penh, Pursat, Prey Veng, and Mondulkiri.
Authorities seized various evidence, including computers, phones, and SIM cards, and completed case files for legal action in accordance with established procedures.
During the operations, police detained 3,575 individuals representing nine nationalities from countries such as China, Korea, Japan, the US, Philippines, Pakistan, India, and Russia. In addition, the commission reported that 130,000 people left Cambodia between January and early February 2026.
Over the past eight months, 37 cases have been heard in court with 173 ringleaders and gang members convicted, the Justice Ministry stated. In the same period, 14,041 foreigners were expelled.
However, data recorded by CamboJA News, based on social media posts by the General Department of Immigration between January 6 and February 11, 2026 showed that a total of 10,209 foreign nationals have been deported from Cambodia. Most were Chinese citizens linked to online scam operations, while others were removed for illegal employment and immigration violations.
The deportations come amid an intensified crackdown on cyber-enabled fraud, as authorities continue to shut down suspected scam compounds, detain thousands of individuals, and pursue legal action against alleged ringleaders. The government announced its goal of eliminating online scam activities in Cambodia by April 2026, alongside expanded cooperation with international partners and increased enforcement targeting trafficking-related criminal networks.
Chhay Sinarith, head of the Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Online Scams (CCOS), could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
Jacob Sims, a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Asia Center and a transnational crime analyst, said the reported figures may indicate some level of disruption to scam operations but remain unverified, and past government actions give external observers little reason to accept them at face value.
He noted that the absence of elite accountability and ongoing efforts by Cambodian officials to suppress victim-witness testimony undermine the possibility of genuinely dismantling the industry. Instead, he said the current response is more likely to cause regional displacement, eventual re-formation inside Cambodia, or both.
Sims added that the government appears to be attempting to restore credibility with international partners after years of hosting an industry that exploited scam and trafficking victims worldwide.
He argued that the emphasis on cooperation is closely linked to pressure from countries that have imposed sanctions, seizures, and extraditions against the ruling CPP and associated criminal actors.
The core issue is not identifying scam compounds, rather the lack of political will to hold key perpetrators accountable and to seriously consider victim-witness evidence, Sims said, alleging that some of the perpetrators are allegedly connected to top leaders or tycoons.
Hundreds of foreigners camped outside embassies in Phnom Penh—such as the Chinese and Indonesian embassies, a few weeks after the government deported Prince Group Holding founder Chen Zhi back to China, who was also a former adviser to the prime minister, to seek assistance to return home in what Amnesty International described as a “humanitarian crisis.”
Toch Sokhak, spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, said authorities at all levels are enforcing two measures like “cold” measures, urging operators to voluntarily stop illegal activities, and “hot” measures, involving legal action against those who refuse to comply.
Authorities identified 216 suspected scam sites in 10 provincial capitals. Of those, 90 were still operating last week, 13 were dismantled or sealed, including 12 in Phnom Penh, Mondulkiri (one) and Svay Rieng (one), and 106 have been shut down.
Sokhak said most of those detained were victims trafficked or coerced into online scam operations, while a “small percentage” of them were crime suspects.
Up to February 11 this year, 7,657 foreigners of 21 nationalities have been caught for alleged online fraud. In that time, 170,507 are believed to have left voluntarily.
A 2023 report by the UN human rights office estimated that at least 120,000 people in Myanmar and 100,000 in Cambodia had been forced to work in online scam operations in the region that year, networks that reportedly swindled $18 billion to $37 billion from victims worldwide.
On February 4, 2026, Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith met with FBI Deputy Assistant Director Scott Schelble to discuss strengthening cooperation in combating cybercrime. Cambodia highlighted ongoing efforts under the national cybercrime commission and reaffirmed plans to expand collaboration with international partners despite border tensions.
More foreigners have also been apprehended in recent operations, like the raid last week at an alleged fraud compound in Bavet city in Svay Rieng province where police arrested over 2,000 people after allegedly firing warning shots.
Aside from the high-profile arrest of politically connected tycoon and alleged scam operator Li Kuong, following the arrest of Chen Zhi, several sanctioned elites with alleged ties to scams have so far escaped scrutiny in the nationwide campaign the government named “Operation XXL.”
Cambodia is strengthening digital security, with an inter-ministerial committee granting preliminary approval to a draft anti-technology fraud law aimed at preventing and suppressing cyber-enabled crimes. The legislation, aligned with the UN Convention against Cybercrime, will now advance through the legislative process and is expected to enhance cross-border cooperation, protect the public, and support the country’s growing digital economy.
