Cambodia scam compounds have turned the country into one of Southeast Asia’s most notorious hubs for cyber scams. Behind the flashy casinos and modern hotels lies a darker story: thousands of people are lured here with the promise of high-paying jobs, only to find themselves trapped in a nightmare of fraud, abuse, and modern slavery.
This shadowy empire of scams took root during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Chinese criminal networks discovered that online fraud could be scaled globally. By 2025, international organizations like the United Nations and Amnesty International reported more than 50 scam compounds across Cambodia, where hundreds of thousands of victims are imprisoned and forced to scam people worldwide.
How Cambodia Scam Compounds Operate
It all begins with a lie.
Criminal gangs—mostly tied to Chinese mafia groups—post attractive job ads on Facebook, Instagram, and job portals. These ads promise easy work, high salaries, and free accommodation in roles like call center agents or digital sales executives.
But once the victims arrive—often trafficked from Malaysia, Vietnam, or directly from India—the trap closes. Their passports are confiscated, and they are forced into debt bondage for their travel, food, and lodging.
Inside these compounds, the scams take different shapes:
- Pig Butchering Scams: Victims must befriend strangers online, gain their trust, and push them into fake cryptocurrency investments. Once trust is built, the money vanishes. In 2023 alone, Americans lost $3.96 billion to this scam.
- Nude Calls and Honey Trapping: Many Indian women are coerced into making explicit video calls, later used to blackmail men. Survivors say at least 3,000 Indians, mostly from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, are trapped in these compounds.
- Other Frauds: Fake gambling sites, undelivered products, and crypto-investment cons—all increasingly powered by AI tools like ChatGPT and real-time translation software.
The compounds themselves look like resorts or tech parks—O-Smach Resort, KK Park, Botum Sakor—but inside, life is brutal. Victims work 15 hours a day without proper food or sleep. Attempts to escape are met with beatings, electric shocks, solitary confinement, sexual violence, or even death.
Who Are the Victims?
The people trapped are often young, unemployed graduates, tricked by fake job offers. According to Amnesty’s 2025 report, survivors included even teenagers and children.
Estimated numbers:
- 100,000–200,000 victims across Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos.
- Over 3,000 Indians, mostly from South India.
- Indonesians, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, and Filipinos are also heavily trafficked.
Meanwhile, the scams’ victims abroad—ordinary internet users—lose billions. In 2024 alone, Americans lost over $10 billion, while Indians face “digital arrest” scams and honey-trapping schemes.
| Country/Region | Trafficked Victims | Scam Victims (Losses) |
|---|---|---|
| India | 3,000+ (mostly South India) | Honey trapping, digital arrest scams |
| Indonesia | 270+ rescued in 2025 | Romance scams |
| Vietnam | 200+ | Crypto scams |
| USA | N/A | $10B+ (2024 losses) |
| Total (Cambodia) | 100,000+ | Global scam revenue $12B+/year |
Government Complicity and Corruption
The Cambodian government’s role is controversial.
Police, judges, and even senior officials are accused of protecting these networks in exchange for bribes.
- 2022: Large raids in Sihanoukville rescued 2,000+ victims.
- 2025: Over 3,000 arrests in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, and Poipet.
But experts warn these are performative crackdowns. Big players, often tied to politicians, remain untouched. For instance, compounds linked to tycoon Ly Yong Phat continue despite international sanctions.
By 2025, the US Treasury had sanctioned 19 Cambodian and Myanmar entities, cutting them off from the global financial system. Yet, most scam centers remain operational.
2025 Updates
- June 2025: Amnesty released its chilling report “I Was Someone Else’s Property”, revealing 53 compounds using torture, child labor, and sexual slavery.
- July 2025: 2,100+ arrests in five provinces, but key masterminds fled abroad.
- September 2025: US sanctions expanded to 19 entities. Tensions rose along the Thailand–Cambodia border, with some even warning of military action.
On social media platform X, users began calling this a “human rights crisis”, especially after stories of Indian women forced into blackmail scams went viral.
cooperation. INTERPOL warns that these
scams are now spreading as far as West Africa.
Impacts and What Can Be Done
The consequences are devastating:
- Economic Impact: Global losses of $12 billion+ every year. Cambodia’s economy is tainted, with scams overshadowing tourism and trade.
- Humanitarian Impact: Even after rescue, victims often end up in immigration detention, sometimes re-sold to traffickers.
Recommendations:
- Families should immediately contact Indian embassies, helplines (like 112), or NCCT hotlines in Cambodia.
- Governments must strengthen ASEAN regional cooperation.
- INTERPOL warns that these scams are now spreading as far as West Africa.
Final Thoughts
What began as small-time fraud has now exploded into a global industry of deceit and suffering. Behind every scam text or fake investment ad could be a young man or woman, trapped inside a barbed-wire compound, working under torture.
The fight against Cambodia’s scam kingdom is no longer just about fraud—it’s about human rights, international justice, and breaking the cycle of modern-day slavery.
