Cambodia claims it has ‘completely dismantled all large-scale scam compounds in the kingdom’ without presenting evidence that it did

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet declared on Wednesday that the nation has "completely dismantled all large-scale scam compounds" within its borders, according to the source. However, the source does not present any evidence to support this claim. Other governments and experts have expressed skepticism about Cambodia's efforts, calling for criminal prosecutions of those responsible for the scam industry.

During a conference on tackling cyberscams, hosted by Cambodia in collaboration with the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime and Interpol, the government showcased a few empty scam compounds to demonstrate its progress. Despite this, experts argue that while some compounds may have been closed, the government has done "comparably little" to dismantle the criminal organizations behind these operations and to hold accountable Cambodian business and political elites who benefited from them.

Mark Taylor, an anti-trafficking consultant and former head of an anti-trafficking program in Cambodia, stated these concerns. U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has also called for sanctions against key Cambodian political figures, including Deputy Prime Minister Neth Savoeun, over alleged connections to scam center operations.

The rise of cyber-scam operations surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, with victims losing billions of dollars to these scams. Southeast Asia has witnessed the proliferation of scam compounds, particularly in countries with weak law enforcement. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that the total losses amounted to between $88.3 billion and $114.1 billion in 2025.