It’s time to taste what you most fear: Cambodia has dramatically escalated its crackdown on cyber scam operations, announcing the closure of 91 casinos found to be operating as fronts for online fraud syndicates.

• The move came just days after the US Treasury sanctioned a sitting Cambodian senator over his alleged control of a sprawling scam-compound network built around casino properties.
• Together, the two developments mark one of the most consequential weeks to date in the international effort to dismantle Southeast Asia’s industrial-scale fraud economy.

Right Guard will not help you here: In a statement first reported by Chinese state news agency Xinhua, the Cambodian government said authorities have raided more than 250 suspected scam centers over the past nine months.

• This has led to the deportation of 13,039 foreign nationals from 33 countries linked to scam activity.
• A further 241,888 voluntary departures from the country have been recorded between mid-January and April 19, 2026.

Long-running: Officials described the eradication of criminal scam syndicates as a “marathon, not a sprint,” dependent on sustained international cooperation and local vigilance.

• Notably, the announcement followed a high-profile visit to Phnom Penh by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
• Wang pressed Prime Minister Hun Manet to do more to dismantle cross-border gambling and online fraud networks targeting mainland Chinese and other victims.

Beijing has been increasingly vocal in calling for coordinated regional action against transnational cybercrime and the issue has become a central feature of Cambodia-China relations.

• Wang continued his regional tour to Thailand following the Phnom Penh meeting.
• Similar themes around cross-border enforcement cooperation dominated discussions.

Hamming it up: Cambodia has also significantly bolstered its domestic legal framework. A new anti-online-scam law, promulgated by royal decree on April 6 after Senate approval on April 3, has taken immediate effect.

• The legislation provides for penalties up to life imprisonment for scam bosses whose operations result in deaths.
• Jail terms of five to 10 years have also been set for ringleaders, rising to 10-20 years where operations involve violence, torture, illegal detention, human trafficking or forced labor.
• Rank-and-file scammers face two to five years.

Kok An bull: Just one day before the casino closures were unveiled, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control singled out Cambodian senator and tycoon Kok An as a fraud ringleader.

• Along with 28 individuals and entities in his network, he is alleged to have been involved in schemes that have stolen millions of dollars from American victims through digital asset investment scams and so-called “pig butchering” romance lures.
• The US Treasury alleged that Kok An, a longtime ally of former Prime Minister Hun Sen, used his political connections to shield the network.
• His flagship company Crown Resorts (not to be confused with the Australian operator) was named as owning casinos, hotels and other buildings in Poipet, Sihanoukville, Bavet and elsewhere that have been retrofitted into scam compounds.
• His Anco Brothers conglomerate allegedly provides casino licensing, uniformed security personnel and other operational services to the syndicates housed on the properties.

99 problems: Other designated parties include Rithy Raksmei and his K99 Group, which the US Treasury said operates casino-linked properties where trafficking victims have been forced to defraud Americans, with reports of unlawful detentions, beatings and deaths dating back to 2019.

• Burmese-born Cambodian citizens Aik Paung and Sai Aung Linn were also named.
• Also in the frame were entities including Xing Tian Di, Nan Tian International Hotel, Brilliancy Sihanoukville Investment and Development, Heng Feng Group and Heng Feng Cambodia Bank.

We will hunt you down: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said eliminating fraud is a top priority for the Trump administration and pledged continued pressure on scam centers regardless of where they operate or how well-connected the operators may be.

• The action was coordinated with the Scam Center Strike Force, a multi-agency US initiative involving the DOJ Criminal Division, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI and the Secret Service.
• The force simultaneously seized 503 fraudulent web domains, took down a recruitment messaging app, and announced charges against two Chinese nationals running a related compound in Myanmar.
• The State Department also offered a reward of up to $10m for information leading to the seizure of proceeds from a separate Myanmar-based scam operation.