Scam centers have also figured into Cambodia’s recent political tensions with neighboring Thailand. As she closed border crossings between the two nations last month, the now-ousted Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra cited Cambodia’s scam centers as “a hub of world-class criminality and a national threat.”
Across Southeast Asia, scam centers generate nearly $40 billion in annual profits, according to a United Nations estimate.
Rong Chhun, an adviser to the opposition Nation Power Party in Cambodia, told RFA Khmer that shutting down scam centers would require targeting organizers, not workers.
“If we only target and sweep up the workers hired by these masterminds without capturing the leaders themselves, it won’t be long before the operations reappear,” he said.
Ny Sokha, president of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association, said the Cambodian government must find and prosecute those who have allowed scam centers to take root and flourish.
“If the government is truly committed to eliminating gambling and especially online scams, I believe further investigation is needed to uncover those behind the scenes. Regardless of how powerful or influential they may be, they must be brought to justice in accordance with the law.”
