Cambodia Freezes $300 Million Of Cyber Fraud Gangs, Deports Thousands

 

New Delhi: Cambodia has started a major crackdown on cyber fraud gangs operating out of its soil. The development is of particular interest to India, since many Indian cyber fraud gangs operate from overseas locations, particularly in South East Asia.

A press statement issued on Wednesday by Cambodia's Commission for Combating Online Scams (CCOS) said that the Cambodian government has frozen a total of more than 300 million US dollars linked to cyber-fraud crimes, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

"Spanning more than a year, the nationwide crackdown has enabled Cambodian authorities to freeze over 300 million US dollars in bank accounts linked to online scam crimes," the press release said. Authorities have forwarded 446 case files to the court involving 3,927 suspects, including ringleaders and accomplices, across 29 nationalities, Xinhua quoted the the press release as stating.

 

According to the press release, law enforcement forces suppressed 663 online scam operations between July 2025 and August 2026, leading to the apprehension of nearly 30,000 suspects representing 39 nationalities. While details of the nationalities were not released, there have been past instances of Indian youth being lured abroad with the promise of jobs, only to be held captive and forced to work for cyber fraud gangs.

 

To date, over 22,000 individuals of 38 different nationalities have been deported for direct involvement in these illegal operations. "At present, there are no remaining large-scale online scam sites operating within Cambodia," the press release said."While some fraudulent activities persist, they have shifted to small-scale, covert operations hidden in rental rooms, guesthouses, private homes, vehicles, or coffee shops."

Senior Cambodian Minister Chhay Sinarith, head of the CCOS, said law enforcement forces inspected 793 suspected locations between July 2025 and August 20, 2026. These operations led to direct crackdowns on 624 sites and the detention of nearly 30,000 suspects.

Sinarith also said that Cambodian authorities rescued and deported 58,266 foreign nationals, including 7,282 women. Out of these, 22,045 individuals across 38 nationalities were found to be directly involved in online scam operations.