Cambodia's assertion of eradicating its scam compounds has been met with skepticism from Amnesty International and industry experts. The Cambodian government claims it no longer hosts any scam compounds that have contributed to the country's reputation as a global hub for cybercrime, but rights groups and analysts caution that this claim cannot be independently verified.
In a statement released on Friday, Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith, who leads the government’s ad hoc Commission for Combating Online Scams, informed 50 foreign diplomats and international officials that 'large-scale scam activities have been brought fully under control, and there are currently no online scam compounds remaining in the country.'
The statement indicated that this achievement follows 'the complete eradication of large-scale online scam operations, strict legal actions against perpetrators, networks and involved officials, alongside the systematic establishment of a cybersecurity legal framework.'
However, the statement also acknowledged that criminal groups have shifted to decentralized operations, now hiding in guesthouses, condominiums, rental houses, vehicles, and coffee shops, which authorities stated they will continue to target.
The scam compounds, primarily operated by Chinese criminal syndicates, have proliferated across Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, and the Myanmar-Thai border areas since the pandemic. Reuters has reported that it has not independently confirmed the claim of eradication.
Amnesty International’s co-regional director, Montse Ferrer, expressed skepticism regarding the government's assertion, stating, 'The true test of long-term success is not how many compounds have closed, but whether the actors responsible have been investigated, prosecuted and prevented from resuming operations.'
Mark Taylor, an independent anti-trafficking consultant, remarked, 'The strong confidence placed in the [Cambodian] government’s assertion that all scamming operations in Cambodia have been eradicated is severely misplaced. There are credible indicators that significant scamming operations continue and that recruitment of foreign workers into Cambodia for scamming work continues.'
Chhay Sinarith reported that law enforcement investigated 793 suspected locations and raided 624 sites between July 2025 and August 20, 2026, detaining nearly 30,000 suspects representing 39 nationalities. Authorities rescued and deported 58,266 foreign nationals, while 3,477 suspects from 29 nationalities were arrested and jailed pending trial.