Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society is accusing Cambodia of potentially housing the world’s largest cybercrime networks backed by its elite.
On Thursday, Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said that Cambodia is now being watched, claiming the illegal operations are supported by power individuals and those in the government.
Prasert cited a recent map on cybercrime drawn up by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), highlighting that many of the illicit endeavors operated openly along the Thai-Cambodia border, with Poipet serving as a strategic base.
Earlier this week, Thai authorities prohibited its citizens who were working in casinos and entertainment complexes in Poipet from crossing the border into Cambodia, as tensions between the two countries continues to rise.
The Thai Minister cited information from the temporary closure of border checkpoints on June 7th, which he says saw the number of daily online fraud reports drop from 1,300 to 900, according to the Bangkok Post.
Authorities say that during the period from March 1st, 2024 to March 2025, authorities handled some 1.18 million cases of online scams, freezing more than 520,000 bank accounts and preventing financial losses topping THB19.9 billion ($607 million).
“The figures clearly show that border closures and cutting electricity and internet access directly reduce the scale of transnational cybercrime and online fraud,” indicated the official.
However, the border closures have also affected the operations of legal land-based casinos, such as Donaco’s Star Vegas in Poipet, which is seeing significant operational challenges due to the border restrictions.
