The number of scam centres operating in Cambodia has actually increased since a government programme to eliminate them commenced in July 2025. The claim reported by non-profit, Amnesty International, appeared in its latest report on the Kingdom’s scam sector released in June 2026 entitled: ‘Falling Through the Cracks – Cambodia’s “Crackdown” on scamming compounds and the victims it has failed.’
This report builds-on ongoing research by the organisation. It found that many of the scam centres identified by Amnesty in its 2025 report are still operating, despite having been revealed to the police. An additional 33 scam centres recently discovered by Amnesty, have since been added to the list.
So, what of the July 2025 crackdown on online scams ordered by Prime Minister Hun Manet? Reportedly 250 scam centres were closed, criminal cases against 1,089 suspects were opened and 13,039 foreign nationals deported, claims the government.
Amnesty says it welcomes the crackdown, and accepts that it is ongoing and so has the potential to have a yet greater impact. However, of the first ten months of the crackdown Amnesty, “Casts serious doubt on the effectiveness of the latest crackdown and raises concerns about the harm it may have caused to survivors.”
Surprisingly, Amnesty found that over the crackdown period the number of scam compounds identified actually increased from 53 to 86. Some of the compounds previously exposed, had been known to authorities for several years, and yet no efforts had been made to close them. Worse still, compelling evidence suggests that some of them are actually managed by police and military officials.
“The scamming industry is run by a network of transnational, criminal groups. However, without the consent or acquiescence of the Cambodian state, these non-state actors would be unable to perpetuate the abuses that this report documents.” Report.
Of the 86 compounds, only 24 were visited by law enforcement authorities during the crackdown. Many of these raids were ineffective or involved collusion between scammers and the police says Amnesty. One tactic was highlighted by many of the 73 trafficked scam victims interviewed. They said that at short notice they would be driven to another location in advance of a police raid, to avoid capture. Indicating that the scammers had been tipped off by law enforcement that a raid was scheduled, giving time for scam bosses to take evasive action. On other occasions mass releases of trafficked scam centre prisoners occurred with no police present. Leaving traumatised victims wandering the streets trying to survive with neither passports nor money.
The 73 victims interviewed were from 16 different countries. “Every person interviewed reported witnessing or being subjected to torture or other ill-treatment, typically inflicted by compound bosses or security guards when victims tried to escape.” States the report.
Six of the women interviewed said they had been raped, mostly by scam bosses or managers. One Brazilian woman reported being raped at more than one scam centre by groups of men and severely beaten. Another woman reported seeing her friend’s dead body covered in blood and told not to touch it by the scam boss that killed her. Upon release she had no support from authorities and was terrified the rapist boss was searching for her, says Amnesty.
Once liberated from their captors, scam centre victims have often had to endure additional hardship and trauma due to their treatment by the authorities, says Amnesty. None of those interviewed were identified as victims of human-trafficking, or afforded the necessary support that such victims should be provided under international law. Many were left without funds or resources to look after themselves, making them highly vulnerable to further exploitation.
The fee for overstaying a Cambodian visa is $10 per day, and many of those imprisoned ran over their visa for many months, through no fault of their own being victims of forced imprisonment. Amnesty documented numerous cases where scam centre victims were required to pay visa overstay fees, before they were allowed to leave the country. In many cases this left victims, desperate to leave their nightmare situations, resorting to taking out huge loans to pay Cambodian officials in order to escape.
“Ultimately, the Cambodian government has failed victims who escaped or were removed from scamming compounds, subjecting them to immigration detention rather than treating them as victims,” Report.
The Cambodian government has made bold claims about the numbers of scam centres closed and victims liberated. On April 23, Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith was reported in the Khmer Times as saying: “The problem of online scams has fallen to just 50%”.
Amnesty says it found little evidence to support the government’s claims, mainly because the government has not been transparent about the evidence: “The Cambodian government has failed to provide transparent or detailed public reporting on many of its stated interventions, including a lack of information on which specific compounds were investigated, what evidence was gathered or whether prosecutions and convictions actually followed.” Says the report.
Government approvals for 16 new casinos, linked to existing scam centres, casts further doubt on the legitimacy of the crackdown. These were awarded by the Commercial Gambling Management Commission (CGMC) in December 2025 and January 2026, “in the midst of the very crackdown meant to root out such operations.” The report states.
Indeed, the Government has actively suppressed efforts to find out information, by arresting at least six journalists involved in scam centre stories. Four of these arrests took place during the crackdown when some were still facing charges.
Providing suggestions for areas for improvement, Amnesty’s report says that to meaningfully address slavery and torture in the scam industry, “the government must now investigate all compounds, properly identify and support trafficking victims and hold accountable those officials whose conduct has undermined this crackdown.” The impact of Cambodia’s scam industry continues to inflict life-changing damage on the thousands of victims trafficked into it. Cambodia’s international reputation is in tatters as a result, leading to serious negative impacts on sectors of the legitimate economy, such as tourism. Amnesty is not alone in asking whether the government is serious about rooting out and getting rid of the industry, which remains a stain on the moral integrity of the Kingdom.
