Cambodia detains more than 650 in Svay Rieng online scam crackdown

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Nov.08,2025) — Cambodian authorities have detained at least 658 suspects, most of them foreign nationals, in a sweeping crackdown on online scams in Bavet City, Svay Rieng province, officials said.

The Nov. 4 operation was led by a task force from the Ministry of Interior, in coordination with the General Commissariat of National Police and Svay Rieng Provincial Police. Legal procedures were overseen by the deputy prosecutor of the Svay Rieng Provincial Court of First Instance, said Touch Sokhak, deputy spokesperson for the Interior Ministry.

Authorities raided two buildings in Bavet. One, located on Betong Road, housed 57 foreign nationals from six countries, including 15 women, along with 12 Cambodian staff working in security, sanitation and translation. The second, a nine-story building on Kampong Spien Road, held 601 foreigners from four nationalities.

Preliminary investigations found the first site was used for online scams that intimidated victims under false pretenses. The second location was reportedly linked to more complex schemes, including high-return investment fraud, fake banking operations, romance scams, fraudulent marathon registrations and the use of AI-generated deepfake content for identity theft, Sokhak said.

The crackdown is part of a broader government campaign to combat online fraud and transnational crime under Prime Minister Hun Manet. Authorities have ramped up arrests, prosecutions and deportations of foreigners involved in illegal activities.

Between January and September 2025, the National Police investigated 48 online fraud cases, resulting in the deportation of 2,722 foreign nationals. Cambodia deported 21,000 foreigners during the sixth government mandate and 15,000 in the first two years of the seventh.

Sokhak said the latest operation reflects Cambodia’s commitment to tackling online fraud and strengthening cooperation with regional and international partners to dismantle transnational criminal networks.