Cambodian law-enforcement agencies had continued intensifying their crackdown on telecom scams since the beginning of 2026. According to the latest report by Cambodia's committee combating telecom scams, 2,508 foreign suspects were arrested nationwide from January 1 to early February, involving seven countries and regions: Nepal, China, Malaysia, Laos, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Capital and provincial unified commands, together with relevant law-enforcement forces, conducted several rounds of special operations, investigating and closing 190 sites suspected of scam activity. These included 44 casinos in Preah Sihanouk, Kampot, Kandal, Svay Rieng, Phnom Penh, Pursat, Prey Veng and Mondulkiri. Officers seized large quantities of computers, mobile phones and SIM cards used in the alleged offences. Cases had been opened for investigation, with proceedings continuing in accordance with the law.
The report said several major telecom-scam cases had made interim progress: law-enforcement agencies had taken criminal measures in accordance with the law against some scam ringleaders and their accomplices and successfully dismantled multiple cross-border scam dens. The operations involved schemes impersonating law-enforcement authorities and targeting people overseas. Cambodian law-enforcement agencies also maintained close cooperation with relevant departments in China, the United States, South Korea and other countries to probe organised transnational criminal networks further and advance joint investigations and cross-border law enforcement.
Specialist law-enforcement forces in the capital and provinces focused on scam groups and their hideouts, combining thorough investigation and evidence collection with systematic, large-scale action alongside international partners. The report said the operations had significantly deterred illegal activity. It separately cited 110,095 foreign departures from Cambodia from January to early February 2026, involving six countries and regions: China, Viet Nam, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The government said Cambodia would never be a safe haven for telecom scammers and maintained zero tolerance for all forms of cross-border scams. It said individuals and organisations orchestrating or directly participating in online scams would be held accountable under the law and face the strictest legal sanctions, without leniency or interference. Courts nationwide had tried 37 major scam cases and convicted 172 ringleaders and accomplices over the previous eight months. The report also said the relevant authorities had lawfully deported 9,314 foreign nationals.
