TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Cambodian police this week arrested over 1,000 suspects, including 75 Taiwanese, in a nationwide crackdown on online scam compounds linked to human trafficking and forced labor.
Prime Minister Hun Manet has ordered a sweeping campaign against cybercrime sweatshops, per AFP. On Tuesday, he directed law enforcement and the military to “prevent and crack down on online scams,” warning that inaction could lead to dismissal.
The UN has called Southeast Asia the ground zero of global scams, with fraud rings often using romance or investment schemes to defraud victims. Losses on social media platforms alone are estimated at US$40 billion annually (NT$1.177 trillion).
Over the past three days, Cambodian authorities raided scam compounds nationwide. Major sites included Phnom Penh, the border town of Poipet, and the coastal city of Sihanoukville.
In addition to Taiwanese, at least 271 Indonesians, 213 Vietnamese, and 27 Chinese were among those arrested. Many freed from scam centers said they had been trafficked or deceived into traveling to Cambodia.
A report released last month by Amnesty International warned of scam centers emerging on a mass scale. The report documented at least 53 compounds run by criminal syndicates, involving forced labor, torture, illegal detention, and slavery.
In March, a raid in Poipet led to the arrest of 230 foreigners, including 119 Thais who were later deported. In April, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime cautioned that the scam industry is expanding globally, with operations reaching South America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and some Pacific islands.
