Cambodia's Police Chief Says Citizens Have Lost Over $26 Million to Online Scams
Cambodia's national police commissioner disclosed that citizens have lost an estimated $26.2 million to online scam groups, with the vast majority of reported cases remaining unresolved.
Cambodians have been swindled out of roughly $26.2 million by online fraud rings since 2025, according to National Police Commissioner Sar Theth — underscoring that the country is not just a base for scam operations targeting foreigners but increasingly a victim of them as well.
Addressing the International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS) on September 24, Theth revealed that police logged 1,136 fraud complaints from Cambodian nationals in 2025, with reported losses totaling approximately $4.7 million. Of those cases, only 51 were successfully resolved.
Losses surge in 2025
In the first eight months of this year alone, authorities received an additional 1,084 complaints tied to an estimated $21.5 million in losses. Just 42 of those cases have been resolved so far, Theth said. He did not elaborate on the specific methods used to defraud victims or whether the perpetrators were Cambodian or foreign nationals.
Why recovery is so difficult
Theth pointed to several obstacles hindering efforts to combat online fraud:
- Criminal groups are rapidly adopting advanced technology and telecommunications tools, making it harder for law enforcement to keep pace.
- Tracking and recovering stolen funds remains extremely complex due to the sophisticated movement of illicit money.
- Public awareness of scam risks continues to be low among Cambodian citizens.
He also noted that authorities have generally only managed to apprehend low-level operatives, while the masterminds behind major scam networks remain based overseas, making it nearly impossible to dismantle these organizations at their core.
Calls for international cooperation
Theth raised an additional challenge: some detained suspects hold expired identity documents, which has delayed repatriation and deportation processes and left Cambodia shouldering the associated costs.
The police chief urged stronger collaboration between nations and international bodies to "break the chain" of what he described as borderless criminal enterprises.