Cambodian Police Raid Japanese Fraud Base in Cross-Border Crackdown

[geovalin]

 

Cambodian authorities have raided a suspected phone scam base in Poipet, detaining more than 20 Japanese nationals believed to be involved in large-scale fraud targeting victims in Japan.

 

The bust, which took place on 27 May in the north-western Cambodian city near the Thai border, followed a tip-off from police in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture. According to Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA), those arrested are suspected of impersonating Japanese police officers in phone calls designed to dupe victims into handing over cash under the guise of a criminal investigation.

 

Computers, smartphones, and other equipment were seized during the operation. The building, situated among low-rise offices and dormitory-style lodgings, was reportedly fortified with multiple security gates, hinting at an organised operation.

 

Victims were told their bank accounts had been linked to crime, and were pressured to prove their innocence by transferring funds—a tactic seen in nearly 1,900 confirmed fraud cases across Japan in the first three months of this year alone. Losses are estimated at over 17 billion yen (roughly £94 million).

 

Aichi police revealed the tip-off came from a 21-year-old Japanese man who had unwittingly joined the scam. Recruited through a part-time job ad, he was flown to Thailand last December, then transported by car across the border to Poipet. There, under the control of Chinese supervisors, he and over 20 other Japanese were instructed to carry out the fraudulent calls. The man managed to return to Japan in January and reported his experience to police.

 

This raid is part of a broader crackdown across Southeast Asia, where fraud bases exploiting Japanese nationals have proliferated. Since 2019, 178 Japanese citizens have been detained in similar operations in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. Many are believed to have been coerced into participating, lured by deceptive job offers and then trapped under tight security.

 

Japanese investigators will now travel to Cambodia to support the inquiry and verify the identities of those detained, amid growing concern over cross-border scam networks exploiting vulnerable recruits.

 

-2025-05-31