Cambodia arrests 1,000 in cyberscam crackdown

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Mr Hun Manet issued a directive made public on July 15, telling law enforcement and the military “to prevent and crack down on online scams”.

PHOTO: EPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodian authorities have arrested more than 1,000 people in raids on internet scam centres, police said July 16, as Prime Minister Hun Manet ordered a crackdown on cybercrime sweatshops.

The United Nations has described South-east Asia as the “ground zero” of scam centres, where workers typically use romance or business cons to defraud social media users of an estimated US$40 billion (S$51.3 billion) annually.

Mr Hun Manet issued a directive made public on July 15, telling law enforcement and the military “to prevent and crack down on online scams”, warning they risk losing their jobs if they fail to take action.

Over three days, authorities raided sites across the country, including in the capital Phnom Penh, the Thai border city of Poipet and the coastal city of Sihanoukville.

Just over 1,000 suspects were detained, according to police reports, which continued to be announced late on July 16 night.

The vast majority of the reported arrests were foreign nationals – including at least 271 Indonesians, 213 Vietnamese and 75 Taiwanese.

Many of those freed from South-east Asian scam centres say they were trafficked or lured there under false pretences.

Abuses in Cambodia’s scam centres are happening on