PHNOM PENH: Cambodian authorities have arrested three Malaysians among the 49 suspected members of an online scam syndicate and seized 46 Malaysian SIM cards during a raid in the capital on Sunday.
State media Agence Kampuchea Presse reported that the group allegedly used Cambodia as its operational base to target Malaysians and victims in various countries using fake investment schemes.
“A joint task force under the Phnom Penh Unified Command Committee conducted the operation on Sunday afternoon at a hotel in the capital’s Khan Sen Sok.
“Authorities said those detained included 43 Chinese nationals, three Malaysians, one Vietnamese woman, one Myanmar woman and one Cambodian woman,” reported the state media this morning.
Cambodian security forces are carrying out extensive raids on online scam and illegal gambling centres across the Kingdom, as the government vows to eradicate the menace by April.
Authorities have launched the “XXL Operation”, a major campaign to wipe out the digital scam hubs.
Prime Minister Hun Manet has pledged to the international community that his government will eradicate online scam operations in Cambodia by next month and warned that the Kingdom “is not a haven for cybercriminals”, said the state media.
In the latest operations, police seized 60 computers, 31 central processing units, one laptop, 687 mobile phones and 46 Malaysian SIM cards, according to the report.
During a special media briefing on February 24, Scott Schelble, Deputy Assistant Director, International Operations Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), warned that online scamming has reached an alarming magnitude in Southeast Asia, largely driven by well-organised international syndicates.
“These are not small or isolated crimes; they are sophisticated, well-resourced criminal enterprises that exploit borders, technology, and vulnerable people to generate enormous profits,” said Schelble during the webinar.
As part of a sweeping crackdown since last year, Cambodian authorities have deported thousands of foreigners who were suspected of being trafficked into the country to work in scam centres.
The Interior Ministry in February said more than 30,000 foreign nationals allegedly involved in cybercrime activities had been deported since June last year.
More than 200,000 foreign suspects departed the country voluntarily.
The Malaysian Embassy in Phnom Penh repatriated seven Malaysians believed to be victims of an online syndicate last week.
