Cambodian law enforcement forces successfully apprehended a total of 65 foreign nationals following a series of coordinated, simultaneous raids against sophisticated online fraud operations in Phnom Penh and Kampot province on October 28. The National Police stated the operations are a key component of Cambodia’s ongoing, intensified nationwide campaign targeting cross-border cybercrime syndicates.
In the nation’s capital, a joint force—which included personnel from the General Commissariat of National Police, Phnom Penh Municipal Police, and the Khan Chamkar Mon Unified Command—executed a raid on a condominium located in the city center, acting under the supervision of a deputy prosecutor. This focused operation resulted in the arrest of seven Chinese nationals. These individuals are suspected of running a transnational romance scam ring.
Authorities secured substantial digital evidence from the Phnom Penh location, including 32 mobile phones, five all-in-one desktop computers, and assorted computer equipment. Initial findings confirmed that the suspects utilized fabricated online personas and identities to execute their elaborate scams and defraud victims residing outside of Cambodia.
Concurrently, a major operation unfolded in the coastal region of Kampot. Police inspected a large compound within Bokor city, leading to the detention of 58 Vietnamese nationals, including 15 women. The expansive raid covered multiple properties, including three flat houses, a villa, and an operations center. Among those detained were nine individuals (seven men and two women) who were already on a police watchlist due to prior involvement in criminal activities.
The evidence confiscated at the Kampot site was voluminous, encompassing 48 mobile phones and 68 pieces of computer equipment, such as all-in-one machines, CPUs, and monitors. A preliminary forensic review of this material strongly suggested that the group was engaged in operating fraudulent online cryptocurrency and investment schemes via fake websites, with victims exclusively targeted across international borders.
All 65 suspects from both provinces have been transferred to the General Department of Immigration and other relevant judicial bodies for necessary processing and the commencement of further legal proceedings. Police officials have confirmed that specialized investigative units are continuing to work diligently to identify and apprehend the masterminds directing these complex criminal networks.
The National Police forcefully reiterated its unwavering dedication to the national crackdown, promising that “mixed law enforcement forces across the country will continue to take strict legal action without exception” against all individuals and syndicates involved in technology-based fraud and illegal online operations.