This commentary argues that telecoms fraud is not unique to Cambodia but is a global, transnational criminal industry, with similar offences in Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Africa and South America. It considers placing all responsibility on Cambodia unfair and unrealistic.
It argues that Cambodia’s government is making every effort to dismantle scam groups to protect the country’s reputation and investment environment, but that the complexity of transnational crime makes complete elimination by one country alone impossible.
As the so-called elimination campaign approaches its end, why do operations continue to restart in some places?
The commentary offers the following explanation:
Large profits make the roots difficult to remove. It describes an industry chain spanning recruitment, training, technology, money laundering and protective connections, with earnings at every stage. As long as profits remain, some people will risk restarting. It interprets re-emergence as a shift from open to hidden activity, from concentration to dispersion.
Relocation and dispersal also make oversight harder, it argues. Instead of conspicuous compounds, operations may become small, scattered and concealed, sometimes using legitimate-company names. Clearing a compound does not mean everyone has disappeared: some people are relocated, some absorbed into other networks, and some remain bound by financial interests, providing a basis for renewed activity. The article also describes uneven local implementation and a continuing contest between enforcement and evasion.
It further argues that, while there are potential victims and money to steal, the criminal market will persist. Disrupting supply can reduce its scale, but clearing compounds and closing sites in Cambodia alone cannot fundamentally end a transnational chain. Global cooperation, information sharing and public self-protection are presented as essential responses.
The commentary therefore urges people to protect themselves as well as criticise incomplete enforcement: do not become part of the chain, avoid schemes and remain vigilant.
It concludes that combating scams is a prolonged struggle, requiring recognition of its transnational complexity and shared responsibility among countries.
