Lured into an online scam network, an African man spent almost a year in Cambodia trying to go home

A 33-year-old Ghanaian man, lured to Cambodia with the promise of a receptionist job, endured a month of abuse and was locked in a dark room before finally escaping the online scam network. He arrived from Ghana in November 2025 with the hope of earning $1,000 a month, which was significantly higher than what he could make back home.

The man was taught to promote work-from-home jobs to people online, but soon discovered it was a scam. He wanted to leave, but the scam center seized his passport and forced him to endure beatings with fists, a bat, and taser shocks. He was eventually rescued by Cambodian police in January as part of a nationwide crackdown on scam operations.

The man still suffers from a broken wrist after being beaten. The incident highlights the growing issue of online scams in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos, with an estimated 300 scam centers operating in the country. Despite international pressure, Cambodia has not prosecuted the masterminds behind the schemes or the elites who enabled them through political connections.

Humanitarian groups report that many former workers are still stranded in Phnom Penh, facing police harassment and arbitrary detentions. The Cambodian government claims to have dismantled larger scam compounds and is prosecuting cases, but critics argue that it is not holding accountable the senior politicians and government officials responsible for enabling the criminal activities.