Several observers agree that Prime Minister Hun Manet’s government is facing mounting domestic pressure amid a worsening economic climate, widening inequality, and a surge in illicit activity, particularly cybercrime and online scams.
International intelligence and reports suggest that the profits from these illegal enterprises are, in part or in large measure, connected to individuals close to the Cambodian political elite.
This is not mere speculation. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has released detailed findings on transnational organised crime, cybercrime, and online scam operations.
Their research includes a map of global scam centres, offering a sobering picture of the scale and geography of such activity.
The map, compiled by UNODC, clearly identifies multiple scam hubs along the Thai-Cambodian border.
Interestingly, contrary to widespread assumptions Myanmar is the regional epicentre, Cambodia now appears as the leading hotspot for cyber fraud operations.
Among the most prominent locations marked on the map is Sihanoukville, cited by the UNODC as one of the largest scam centres in Cambodia.
The report highlights significant foreign investment in the area, which has evolved into both a hideout and operational base for scam syndicates targeting victims worldwide, including in Thailand.
Poipet, a border town directly opposite Aranyaprathet in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo Province, has also become a strategic base for criminal networks seeking to infiltrate the Thai market.
Further south and inland, the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, Bavet, and Preah Sihanouk province are similarly highlighted, indicating that the scam industry is no longer confined to border zones.
Instead, it has expanded into major cities, including the national capital, underscoring the scale and institutional entrenchment of cybercriminal activity within Cambodia.
These findings from the UNODC cast a spotlight not only on the country’s growing reputation as a cybercrime hub but also on the complex nexus of political power, economic desperation, and transnational crime now shaping Cambodia’s internal and external challenges.
One of the key concerns for the international community, major powers, and UNODC is the growing body of evidence pointing to clear financial links between Cambodia’s political elite and the country’s burgeoning scam industry, particularly the so-called “scam centres” operating under the guise of legitimate businesses.
A notable example is the LYP Group, which holds concessions in Cambodia’s Koh Kong Special Economic Zone. Its subsidiaries include Koh Kong International Resort Club, and Export-Import.
The group has been sanctioned and blacklisted by the United States for its alleged involvement in corruption, human trafficking, forced labour, and online fraud.
In a more politically sensitive case, a nephew of former Prime Minister Hun Sen has been implicated in large-scale online scam operations, including the embezzlement of over US$49bil in digital assets since 2021.
He has also been linked to Huione Group, a major conglomerate accused of conducting illicit financial transactions, including money laundering and cyber theft, across the region.
The Huione Group has since been sanctioned by the United States and other Western countries. It has been cut off from the US financial system, with all American firms banned from opening accounts or conducting any business with the group.
US Deputy Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: “Huione Group has positioned itself as a marketplace of choice for dangerous cyber actors, including North Korea and organised crime syndicates, who have stolen billions of dollars from ordinary Americans”. — The Nation/ANN
