FBI Senior Official Praises Cambodia’s Efforts to Rescue Online Scam Victims
FBI Senior Official Praises Cambodia’s Efforts to Rescue Online Scam Victims
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 23, 2026 — A senior FBI official has praised Cambodia’s efforts to combat online scams and rescue victims, stressing that international cooperation is essential to dismantling scam compounds and pursuing criminal networks operating across borders.
Stephen Flores, a senior executive with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the remarks Wednesday during the International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS-2026) in Phnom Penh.
Flores commended Cambodia for what he described as a clear policy and commitment to rescuing people victimised by online scam operations. He said the FBI would continue working with international partners to protect vulnerable victims from technology-enabled threats.
Because online scams are transnational crimes, Flores said effective enforcement requires countries to share intelligence, coordinate investigations and work together across jurisdictions.
“Partnerships have to be more than just professional relationships. They must be founded on trust and shared sacrifice,” he said, according to reporting from the conference.
Flores said countries may have different languages, uniforms and national interests, but should share a common objective: protecting innocent people by disrupting and dismantling online scam centres.
He identified two areas as particularly important: rescuing victims in a timely manner and determining what practical assistance can be provided to them after they are rescued.
FBI reports increased international enforcement
Flores also highlighted the results of international law-enforcement cooperation over the past 18 months.
He said the FBI had captured six of its 10 top international fugitives, while cooperation with partner countries had contributed to a substantial increase in arrests and extraditions.
Cambodian and regional reporting also cited significant increases in enforcement activity in Asia, including a 175% increase in arrests and a 200% increase in extraditions, according to figures presented in connection with Flores’ remarks.
Another report cited Flores as saying that 84 foreign nationals had been extradited or otherwise transferred in connection with the FBI’s international enforcement efforts.
The FBI official said the figures demonstrated the value of cooperation among law-enforcement agencies in different countries.
He stressed that the FBI cannot simply enter another country and conduct arrests without the cooperation and authorisation of that country’s authorities. Effective action therefore depends on governments sharing information and coordinating investigations.
Cambodia-US cooperation
The remarks came as Cambodia hosted ICCOS-2026, bringing together officials and law-enforcement representatives from more than 20 countries and international organisations including INTERPOL and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
The conference is focused on strengthening international cooperation against online scams, including intelligence sharing, financial investigations, victim protection and the dismantling of scam compounds.
Recent reporting also said the FBI has provided Cambodian authorities with information on suspected scam locations in Cambodia, which Cambodian law-enforcement agencies subsequently investigated.
Flores said the growing results from cross-border investigations demonstrated that online scam networks cannot be effectively tackled by one country acting alone.
He called for continued cooperation built on trust, information sharing and shared responsibility, with the protection of victims remaining a central objective.
The conference is expected to culminate in the adoption of the Phnom Penh Declaration on Combating Online Scams, aimed at strengthening international cooperation against transnational scam networks and related crimes.
