Cambodia expands crackdown as online scam networks adopt new tactics

Synopsis: Authorities extend enforcement into local communities as dispersed criminal networks abandon large compounds for smaller operations.

Cambodia is extending its crackdown on online scam operations into local communities as criminal networks adopt sophisticated tactics to avoid detection, posing new challenges for law enforcement, anti-trafficking official Chou Bun Eng said yesterday.

Chou Bun Eng, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Interior and permanent vice-chairwoman of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT), said authorities are monitoring smaller operations after enforcement efforts targeted large scam compounds.

Speaking at a national digital safety forum in Phnom Penh, she said criminal groups no longer need to operate from one location, noting that members work separately using devices, internet connections and online communications.

“What concerns us now is that these people do not need to gather together,” she said. “They can each have their own skills, equipment and Wi-Fi, and communicate with or direct others in their networks.”

She warned that individuals with experience in scam operations could apply those skills elsewhere, adding that small groups could eventually reconnect into larger networks.

“This is a new difficulty,” she said, adding that authorities cannot charge someone simply for possessing criminal skills without evidence of a crime.

Bun Eng said Cambodia was responding by extending monitoring into communities to prevent dispersed groups from establishing new operations. Authorities in the capital and provinces have been assigned to maintain enforcement measures, with weekly reviews.

The government is working with anti-trafficking structures at national and local levels to prevent small groups from expanding. She noted that the NCCT brings together 22 ministries and institutions and five specialised units, with networks extending through provincial, district and commune authorities.

She acknowledged that Cambodia initially struggled to understand methods employed by experienced operators who brought sophisticated techniques into the country.

“I can honestly say that, in the past, we did not clearly understand what online scams were,” she said.

Successive investigations helped authorities better understand the networks, though shifting tactics continue to complicate prevention and prosecution. Bun Eng said existing laws against human trafficking were initially insufficient to respond quickly to emerging online crimes, prompting the adoption of legislation targeting technology-enabled scams and administrative measures to monitor premises.

A special commission chaired by Prime Minister Hun Manet has also been established to coordinate the fight against online scams. Meanwhile, the NCCT is conducting a midterm review of its 2024–2028 national anti-trafficking strategic plan.

Bun Eng added that the challenge extends beyond Cambodia, as operators maintain international connections without meeting physically, requiring cross-border cooperation.

She said the government would continue pursuing smaller operations rather than treating the closure of large compounds as the end of the issue.

“We are doing everything we can, and we will not stop easily,” she said. “We will continue to monitor and clear them out.”