Money launderers: How scammers work

Lair?: An aerial view of the headquarters of the Huione Group, an established financial services conglomerate, in Phnom Penh. Documents and insiders reveal how one of the world’s major money laundering networks operates. — Photos: CHANG W. LEE/The New York Times

EVERY few weeks, fireworks light up the night sky in Cambodia, set off by scammers to salute their biggest swindles.

By the time the shells pop and crackle, somebody’s life savings are probably gone. Maybe the victim fell for an online romance scam or bought into a fake cryptocurrency exchange.