Cambodia has placed the fight against online scams at the centre of an important international conversation.
On 23–24 September 2026, Phnom Penh hosted the International Conference on Combating Online Scams, under the theme: “Acting Together Towards Breaking the Chain and Eradication of Online Scams.” The conference brought together representatives from 27 countries, seven international organisations, law-enforcement agencies, financial institutions, technology companies, academics and other stakeholders.[gov]
The event was co-sponsored by INTERPOL, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and the Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Center. Its purpose was not simply to discuss cyber fraud, but to build stronger mechanisms for international cooperation against a criminal ecosystem that crosses borders, industries and jurisdictions.[gov]
Cambodia’s message: No safe haven for scams
Opening the conference, Prime Minister Hun Manet stated that Cambodia would never be a safe haven for online scams. He described online fraud as a transnational criminal threat connected to human trafficking, money laundering, illicit financial flows and the misuse of technology.[gov]
The Prime Minister also outlined several actions taken by Cambodia:
• Establishing the national-level Commission on Combating Online Scams in February 2025.
• Enacting the Law on Combating Online Scams in April 2026.
• Conducting inspections and enforcement operations against suspected scam locations.
• Freezing more than US$300 million in bank accounts linked to online scam crimes between July 2025 and 31 August 2026.
• Referring 446 cases involving 3,927 suspects to the courts.
• Taking legal action against public officials allegedly involved in scam-related activities.[gov]
According to the Cambodian government, specialised authorities inspected 832 suspected locations and conducted operations at 663 of them. Authorities also reported taking control of 86 major scam compounds.[gov]
These figures demonstrate the scale of the government’s response. However, they also reveal the complexity of the problem. Online scam networks are not simply groups of people operating from one physical location. They are flexible, decentralised and increasingly dependent on digital payments, telecommunications, cryptocurrency, social media, recruitment networks and cross-border financial channels.
The most important shift: Follow the money
One of the most significant aspects of Cambodia’s initiative is the growing recognition that enforcement must go beyond arresting frontline operators.
Traditional raids may disrupt a scam compound, but they do not necessarily dismantle the business model behind it. The organisers, financiers, recruiters, technology providers, property owners, corrupt officials and money launderers may remain outside the immediate reach of local enforcement.
That is why financial intelligence and anti-money-laundering cooperation are essential.
The Prime Minister called for stronger cooperation among financial intelligence units, banks, virtual-asset platforms and law-enforcement bodies to trace illicit funds, identify ultimate beneficial owners, freeze virtual assets and disrupt underground banking networks.[gov]
For banks and payment companies, this creates a clear responsibility. Financial institutions must improve their ability to identify:
• Unusual account-opening patterns.
• Rapid movement of funds across multiple jurisdictions.
• Accounts controlled by suspected mule networks.
• Transactions connected to high-risk digital platforms.
• Payments associated with fraudulent employment, investment or romance schemes.
• Funds that are quickly converted into cryptocurrency or moved through informal channels.
This is no longer only a compliance issue. It is also a national-security, consumer-protection and human-rights issue.
A scam transaction may begin with a fraudulent message, but the financial system is often where the criminal proceeds are collected, layered and transferred. Effective prevention therefore requires cooperation between banks, payment service providers, telecommunications operators, technology platforms, regulators and law-enforcement agencies.
The UK-Cambodia partnership
The conference also produced a practical example of international cooperation.
The United Kingdom and Cambodia announced a new Memorandum of Understanding focused on closer intelligence sharing, financial and digital investigations, and stronger protection for victims of trafficking linked to scam operations.[gov]
This partnership reflects the international nature of the problem. Criminal networks may recruit workers in one country, operate facilities in another, target victims in several countries and move the proceeds through accounts, payment platforms and digital-asset channels around the world.
No single country can effectively address this entire chain alone.
International cooperation must therefore include:
1. Real-time intelligence sharing.
2. Faster cross-border financial investigations.
3. More effective mutual legal assistance.
4. Digital-forensic evidence sharing.
5. Coordinated asset freezing and confiscation.
6. Victim identification and safe repatriation.
7. Joint action against recruiters, enablers and financial facilitators.
Victims must remain at the centre
The online-scam crisis has two categories of victims.
The first are people who lose money through fraudulent investment offers, impersonation, phishing, romance scams and other forms of digital deception.
The second are people trafficked into scam operations and forced to commit fraud against others. Some are recruited through fake employment advertisements, transported across borders and subjected to threats, violence or confinement.
These two groups require different forms of protection, but both deserve recognition and assistance.
A person forced to participate in online fraud should not automatically be treated in the same way as an organiser or willing criminal participant. Authorities must distinguish between trafficked workers, coerced individuals, low-level operators and those who finance or control the network.
This is one of the most important principles raised by the Cambodian initiative: enforcement must be strong, but it must also be fair, evidence-based and consistent with human-rights standards.[gov]
From conference declarations to measurable results
The proposed Phnom Penh Declaration is expected to establish a framework for international cooperation, information sharing, capacity building, prevention, law enforcement, victim protection and coordinated responses to online scams.[gov]
The declaration will be meaningful only if it produces measurable action.
Governments and institutions should consider publishing indicators such as:
• The value of criminal funds frozen and ultimately confiscated.
• The number of scam networks dismantled.
• The number of financial facilitators prosecuted.
• The speed of cross-border information exchange.
• The number of victims identified and repatriated.
• The number of fraudulent accounts and digital wallets blocked.
• The amount of compensation or recovery returned to victims.
• The reduction in scam losses reported by consumers and businesses.
These indicators would help distinguish between a political commitment and an operational programme.
A successful anti-scam strategy should not be measured only by the number of raids or arrests. It should also be assessed by whether criminal networks lose access to money, communications infrastructure, recruitment channels, corrupt protection and safe jurisdictions.
What this means for Cambodia’s financial sector
For Cambodia’s banking and payment sectors, the conference sends a strong signal that compliance expectations will continue to rise.
Banks, payment institutions and fintech companies should prepare for closer scrutiny of:
• Customer due diligence and beneficial ownership.
• Money-mule account detection.
• Transaction monitoring and suspicious transaction reporting.
• Cross-border remittance activity.
• Merchant onboarding and payment-gateway controls.
• Digital-wallet abuse.
• Cryptocurrency-related transactions.
• Fraud reporting and customer reimbursement procedures.
• Information sharing with regulators and law-enforcement authorities.
The response must also be balanced. Strong controls should not unnecessarily exclude legitimate customers, migrant workers, small businesses or underserved communities from digital finance.
The objective is not to stop digital payments. It is to make digital payments safer, more transparent and more resilient.
Cambodia’s opportunity
Cambodia’s decision to host this conference creates both a responsibility and an opportunity.
The responsibility is to demonstrate that national commitments are supported by transparent enforcement, effective prosecution, institutional accountability and protection for victims.
The opportunity is to position Cambodia as an active regional participant in the development of stronger standards for digital-financial crime, online fraud and cyber-enabled organised crime.
The country’s next steps will be closely watched. The establishment of dedicated institutions and new legislation is important, but long-term credibility will depend on implementation, independent oversight, cooperation with international partners and consistent application of the law.
The fight against online scams will not be won by one conference, one law or one enforcement campaign. It will require continuous cooperation among governments, banks, payment providers, technology companies, telecommunications operators, universities, civil-society organisations and the public.
Cambodia’s message this week is clear: online scams are not merely a local law-enforcement problem. They are a global threat requiring a coordinated response.
The real test now is whether the Phnom Penh Declaration can transform that message into sustained, practical and measurable
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