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Cambodia’s online scam industry remains widespread despite a yearlong government crackdown.
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Amnesty International found 86 active scam compounds, up from 53 the year before.
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Victims from multiple countries are still being trafficked and forced to run fraud schemes under threat and abuse.
The Cambodian government has been at war against the online scam industry for a year now. But instead of ending online scams, a new report by Amnesty International says the problem has worsened.
In their report, Amnesty questioned how effective the yearlong crackdown really is and whether authorities are actually doing enough to eliminate the global fraud and forced labor connected to these sites.
What the Report Found
Amnesty identified 86 scam compounds operating across Cambodia as of April this year. That is a sharp increase from 53 compounds just one year earlier.
The London-based rights group said these sites are often large buildings. Many operate inside casinos, hotels, or industrial zones. High fences, armed guards, and strict security surround them.
Inside, trafficked workers run online fraud schemes. They’re scamming folks worldwide via phony investment schemes, romance scams, and fraudulent cryptocurrency projects.
Cambodia’s government has repeatedly said it’s been crushing this online scam industry, bragging about busts, arrests, and shutting down shady places this past year. The officials said authorities took action against more than 250 scam operations.
But Amnesty found a very different picture. The group only found evidence of real estate intervention at 24 sites during the entire government campaign.
That means most compounds faced no meaningful enforcement. Some sites saw police raids but did not shut down permanently. Others moved operations or restarted quickly after authorities left.
The scam centers do not function like normal call centers. Survivor accounts describe them as prison-like compounds.
Criminal groups bring people in through fake job offers. They promise victims “lucrative” work, tech support, customer service, and online marketing too. But the promises are lies.
Once victims arrive, guards take their passports. They restrict all movement. Many workers cannot leave the compound at all. Inside, guards force workers to commit fraud every day. They must build fake relationships online. They slowly convince victims to send money.
Those who refuse face punishment. Amnesty documented beatings, threats, and other abuse. Workers who fail to meet targets also face consequences. Survivors described twelve to sixteen-hour workdays. They get little rest and constant monitoring, and most of them sleep in crowded rooms with zero privacy.
The Human Trafficking Crisis
Amnesty’s report draws a clear link between scam centers and human trafficking. Many workers inside these compounds did not choose to be there.
Criminal networks bring people from other Asian countries and beyond. Some victims fall for fake job advertisements. Others face coercion or outright abduction.
Once inside, debt and fear trap them. Leaving is impossible without outside help. Some survivors needed diplomatic intervention or rescue operations to escape.
The report compares conditions to forced labor or modern slavery. Guards control every aspect of workers’ lives. Punishment awaits anyone who tries to resist.
Amnesty’s finding is consistent with what other human rights groups have found earlier. Also for many years now, several journalists have reported similar scam operations all over Southeast Asia.
Questions About the Crackdown
Cambodian officials say they are fighting online scam networks seriously. Authorities claimed thousands of suspects are locked up and closed down forced labor compounds.
They also said they teamed up with other countries to fight cybercrime, which actually sounds like they’ve worked really hard. But Amnesty’s latest report questions these claims. Many raids appear short-lived and ineffective.
In some cases, operators moved workers out before police arrived. Some sites later reopened under different names. Others continued operating with minor changes.
Amnesty also raised concerns about possible corruption. The report does not accuse the entire government. But it suggests some local actors may cooperate with scam operators.
That inconsistency allows the industry to survive. Public crackdowns make headlines, but the scam compounds keep running.
A Regional Problem
The scam centers are not just in Cambodia alone. You see the same problem happening in Myanmar, Laos, and the Philippines. These scam factories don’t care about borders, they recruit people from all over and go after targets in the US, Europe, Asia, wherever there’s cash to steal.
The US Congress has exposed a China-linked scam empire operating across these same countries, stealing $10 billion from Americans every year. Read about the congressional investigation into the networks behind these compounds.
The scams themselves? They’re not complicated, but the impact ruins a lot of lives. Criminal groups build fake relationships online. Then they push victims into sending money through fake investment platforms or emotional manipulation.
Amnesty said the industry remains large and still expanding. Scam networks remain resilient despite efforts to stop them. Stopping this for good would need stronger, ongoing measures. Currently, official reports don’t quite match the reality. And thousands of victims of forced labor have yet to be rescued.
