Cambodia fines landlords in $202k scam crackdown

Kiripost

Cambodian authorities have fined building owners more than $202,000 in August for renting properties to online scam networks and undocumented foreigners, underscoring the government’s determination to dismantle the infrastructure behind cybercrime.

The Ministry of Interior said landlords and managers who concealed undocumented foreigners faced penalties under Sub‑Decree No.03, with fines of $1,000 per individual. In August alone, officials cracked down on 85 scam sites, detaining 1,255 suspects from 13 nationalities.

The crackdown reflects the scale of Cambodia’s call‑centre scam industry, which relies on large rented buildings to house trafficked workers coerced into running online fraud schemes. These centres, often disguised as office blocks or residential complexes, have proliferated across Phnom Penh and provincial towns, targeting victims worldwide.

Authorities also carried out 3,657 administrative inspections involving nearly 18,000 individuals, alongside road checks that stopped more than 2,700 people. Immigration officials report that in the first half of 2026 alone, over 45,000 foreigners were deported, including 16,000 linked to scam operations.

Chhay Sinarith, head of the Commission for Combating Online Scams, said enforcement will continue “consistently” against masterminds, accomplices and facilitators. The aim, he stressed, is not only to punish offenders but to prevent networks from re‑establishing themselves.

The fines highlight how landlords have become a critical link in the scam economy. By providing the physical space for call centres, they enable operations that exploit trafficked workers and defraud victims abroad. For Cambodia, tackling these networks means targeting both the perpetrators and those who profit from renting them shelter.

-2026-09-15