Cambodia says August crackdown reached 85 smaller online-scam sites

The headline numbers refer to different enforcement actions

The General Commissariat of National Police recorded 1,255 detentions during the August operations. Chinese nationals made up the largest group at 732, followed by 323 Vietnamese nationals, 94 Cambodians and 53 Thai nationals, with nine other nationalities also represented.

The Interior Ministry describes the raided premises as “remaining small-scale” scam locations. That wording is the government’s characterisation of the stage of the crackdown; the August report on its own does not independently establish that larger criminal networks have disappeared from Cambodia.

The deportation figure should also be kept separate from the raid total. The General Department of Immigration removed 2,005 foreign nationals from 32 nationalities during the same period for legal violations, while 574 people from 11 nationalities were identified by the authorities as connected to online scams. It would therefore be inaccurate to describe all 2,005 deportations as cyber-scam cases.

Nor are detention, deportation and criminal conviction interchangeable. The report records police and immigration actions, not final court findings against every individual included in the statistics.

**Property checks were part of the August campaign**

The enforcement programme extended well beyond raids on suspected scam premises. The ministry reported administrative inspections at 3,657 targeted locations covering 17,834 people, alongside 269 roadside checkpoints that screened 2,763 people travelling in vehicles considered suspicious by the authorities.

Property owners and managers also appear directly in the report. Authorities said they imposed a combined 822.24 million riel in fines, reported as about US$205,560, for violations of Sub-Decree No. 3. The published figures do not say that every fined owner or manager was personally involved in scam activity, so an administrative breach by a property operator should not be taken as proof of participation in a criminal network.

For landlords, serviced-apartment operators and building managers, this is the more practical part of the update. Cambodia’s enforcement effort is examining how accommodation is managed as well as what happens inside suspected scam sites. The exact duties and potential liability depend on the type of property, the facts of the case and the rules that apply to it.

For practical context, see Cambodia market and country comparisons. This development also connects with Cambodia to Suspend Casino Online Gambling in October.

Ordinary foreign residents are not the target category by default

Nothing in the September 15 report turns ordinary foreign tenancy or residence into suspicious conduct. The figures concern targeted law-enforcement and immigration activity, including locations and individuals selected for inspection.

A lawful tenant or owner should read the report as a reason to keep accommodation arrangements clear rather than as a signal to panic. Knowing who is actually occupying a unit, whether the building manager maintains the required records and what procedures apply if authorities inspect the property can matter. An inspection of an address is not, by itself, a finding of wrongdoing against either the resident or the owner.