Justice Minister Keut Rith says the law aims to step up a “cleanup campaign” across the country.
Published on 3 April 2026
Cambodia’s National Assembly has approved its first law targeting scam centers accused of defrauding foreigners out of billions of dollars, amid growing pressure to crack down on these illegal practices.
Justice Minister Keut Rith said on Friday that the law is aimed at enhancing the ongoing “cleanup operation” across the country and ensuring that the crackdown does not come back to the center.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“This law is as strict as a fishing net, it is strict to ensure that online scams no longer occur in Cambodia, it is strict to serve the interests of the Cambodian nation and people,” he told reporters, adding that the problem has affected the economy, tourism and investment.
The passage of the law is intended to “send a message to cyber scammers that Cambodia is not a place to scam,” he said. The law will now go to the King of Cambodia for final signature.
The law provides for a prison sentence of two to five years and a fine of up to $125,000 for those convicted of online scams.
Those convicted of scams carried out by gangs or against multiple victims can face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. It also outlines penalties for those found guilty of money laundering, collecting victims’ data or recruiting scammers.
The ringleaders of cyber scam centers involved in human trafficking, detention and torture will now face up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000 under the law.
Cambodia did not previously have a law specifically targeting scams, although suspects have been charged with crimes such as recruitment for exploitation, aggravated fraud and money laundering.
The passing of the law comes after widespread condemnation from rights groups and sanctions and prosecutions by governments around the world as Cambodia is one of the countries accused of being a hotbed of cyber scams.
On Thursday, Britain sanctioned the largest fraud complex in Cambodia and the operators of an online cryptocurrency marketplace used to trade stolen personal data. The complex is part of a rapidly growing network of scam centers in Southeast Asia run by the British government, where workers are imprisoned in protected complexes and forced to commit online fraud.
The US State Department said last year that “official collusion, including at senior levels, impedes effective law enforcement action against trafficking crimes in Cambodia”, which has denied suggestions that its government is involved.
A joint statement by UN experts in May said that “hundreds of thousands of people of various nationalities have been trapped and forced to resort to online fraud”.
Many countries have enacted anti-cyber scam laws to deal with the rise in online fraud, romance and cryptocurrency scams and in Singapore, fraudsters face up to 24 penalties in serious cases.
