Cambodia says it has dismantled all major online scam compounds, but officials acknowledge that criminal networks are moving into smaller locations following the nationwide crackdown.
State-run Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) cited Chhay Sinarith, chairman of the Secretariat of the Ad Hoc Commission for Combating Online Scams, as saying major scam centers no longer operated following a crackdown conducted from mid-2025 through August 2026.
However, he said syndicates were relocating to rented houses, apartments, condominiums, cafés and mobile locations, making them harder to identify.
The shift creates a new enforcement challenge in gaming areas where illicit operations have been uncovered at casino properties. AKP separately reported that authorities took journalists to the Golden Galaxy casino in Bavet, near the Vietnamese border, which provincial officials said had been subleased by its Chinese owner to two Vietnamese nationals to conduct online scam schemes.
Authorities detained 244 suspects during the raid, with three alleged ringleaders formally charged. Svay Rieng province has 28 registered casinos, while three casino licenses have been revoked and proceedings are underway to revoke a fourth. AKP did not specify whether all four license cases were connected to scam operations.
Cambodian authorities said they raided 663 scam locations between July 2025 and August 2026, shutting 86 major compounds and freezing more than $300 million in linked bank accounts.
However, transnational crime analyst Jacob Sims told AFP that the buildings, financial institutions and corporate networks supporting the industry remained in place.
Cambodia will host an international conference on combating online scams on September 23rd and 24th.
