Cambodia Opens Former 8 Park Scam Site to International Media Ahead of Anti-Scam Conference
Cambodia Opens Former 8 Park Scam Site to International Media Ahead of Anti-Scam Conference
PREY VENG, 21 September 2026 — Cambodia on September 21 opened a former large-scale online scam compound in Prey Veng province to 78 national and international journalists from 39 media organisations, giving foreign media a first-hand look at a site authorities say was previously used for online scam operations.
The media visit to Meun Chey Commercial Center, also known as 8 Park, in Krabao commune, Kamchay Mear district, was organised by the Secretariat of the Ad Hoc Commission for Combating Online Scams and coordinated by the Ministry of Information.
The visit came two days before Cambodia hosts the International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS-2026) in Phnom Penh on September 23–24, bringing together governments, international organisations, law-enforcement agencies, financial institutions, technology companies and other stakeholders to strengthen international cooperation against online fraud.
According to Cambodian authorities, 8 Park was developed in 2023 and began attracting foreign workers in 2024, with the number reportedly reaching about 7,000 people before rising to nearly 20,000 in 2025. Chinese, Pakistani, Indian and Nepalese nationals were among the largest groups, authorities said.
Cambodian investigators said their inquiries into the site led to the identification of links between 8 Park and Prince Group. Authorities also said legal action had been taken against people connected to the site’s ownership and development, while international cooperation was being pursued to locate suspects who remain at large.
The authorities said the site subsequently emptied as foreign workers left following investigations and enforcement operations.
The media tour is part of Cambodia’s effort to demonstrate the results of its nationwide campaign against online scams as the country prepares to host the international conference.
Cambodian authorities said that from July 2025 through August 2026, they investigated more than 830 suspected locations and conducted enforcement operations at 663 sites. They said 86 large-scale online scam locations had been brought under control and dismantled, while more than 20,000 foreign nationals suspected of involvement in illegal activities were deported.
The government has described online scams as a serious transnational crime, saying Cambodia itself has also been a victim of criminal networks operating across borders. Officials have stressed that tackling such networks requires cooperation with countries including China, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Australia and ASEAN members.
The government has also said that the nature of scam operations is changing. After the dismantling of large compounds, authorities are increasingly encountering smaller and more fragmented operations, requiring continued investigation, surveillance and enforcement to prevent networks from re-emerging.
The challenge extends beyond the physical locations of scam centres. Fraud networks can involve victims, suspects, financial flows and technological infrastructure spread across multiple countries, making international cooperation essential to tracing the wider criminal networks behind individual compounds.
Cambodia’s upcoming ICCOS-2026 will focus on this broader challenge under the theme “Acting Together towards Breaking the Chain and Eradication of Online Scams.” The conference is being co-sponsored by the Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Centre, UNODC’s Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and INTERPOL.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn is also scheduled to deliver remarks at the conference’s high-level session, while Prime Minister Hun Manet is scheduled to preside over the opening ceremony.
