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Cambodia Tells Japan’s TBS Online Scams Are Global Challenge, Not Country-Specific

Terry Felix​​​​   On June 26, 2026 - 8:15 am​   In Asia Pacific   2mn Read
Cambodia Tells Japan’s TBS Online Scams Are Global Challenge, Not Country-Specific Cambodia Tells Japan’s TBS Online Scams Are Global Challenge, Not Country-Specific

PHNOM PENH, 26 June 2026 – Cambodia has described online scam operations as a global challenge rather than a problem unique to the country, highlighting its ongoing nationwide crackdown on cyber-enabled fraud during an interview with Japan’s TBS television network.

Chhay Sinarith, Senior Minister in charge of Special Missions and head of the Secretariat of Cambodia’s Commission for Combating Technology-Based Fraud, told TBS on 24 June that cyber scam networks operate across many countries and frequently exploit foreign nationals to conduct transnational fraud from Cambodian territory.

“Online scams are not an isolated problem for Cambodia but a global crisis affecting many countries around the world,” Chhay said, adding that criminal syndicates recruit foreign nationals of various nationalities to use Cambodia as a base to target victims abroad.

He said Cambodia has strengthened its legal framework through the Law on Combating Technology-Based Fraud, describing it as an advanced legal instrument that criminalises offences committed through digital technologies and addresses increasingly sophisticated cross-border cybercrime networks. The law is intended to protect digital security, public order, citizens and foreign investors, he said.

According to Chhay, Cambodian authorities have intensified enforcement since early 2025. Between the beginning of 2025 and 22 June 2026, authorities raided more than 500 locations nationwide linked to online scam activities, sealing more than 400 premises and revoking or suspending the licences of 25 casinos.

He added that prosecutors have filed 184 criminal cases related to technology-based fraud, with 55 cases currently before the courts. The investigations involve 1,761 defendants, while more than 2,000 foreign suspects from 33 nationalities have also been implicated.

Chhay said Cambodia’s campaign against online scam operations remains active despite the complexity of tackling organised transnational crime, stressing that authorities will continue pursuing investigations and enforcement measures against those involved.

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