Cambodia reports 1,332 detainees in online scam raids during first half of June

The two-week operation reached 78 locations

The Interior Ministry said the June 1–15 sweep covered 78 targeted sites across 12 provinces and a municipality. In total, authorities detained 1,332 people representing 16 nationalities as part of the campaign against technology-enabled fraud networks.

Officials also reported uncovering a group suspected of monitoring police activity and passing operational information to scam-network organisers. Sixteen alleged core members and organisers were sent into court proceedings. That is an enforcement and prosecution step, not a final finding of guilt.

The same report said businesses were fined a combined 197.84 million riel for breaches of Sub-Decree No. 03 during the period. For property owners and managers, the figure signals that enforcement can extend beyond the people working inside a suspected site, although liability still depends on the facts and legal basis of each individual case.

For practical context, see Cambodia economy and finance. This development also connects with Cambodia’s anti-scam crackdown expanded through August.

One detention figure covered several very different outcomes

The ministry’s breakdown is more informative than the headline total. Cases involving 87 detainees were built and transferred to the judicial system, while 133 people were handed to immigration authorities for processing and expulsion. Another 1,112 remained in custody while verification and other procedures continued.

That distinction also matters because scam compounds can contain trafficking and forced-labour victims as well as alleged offenders. Amnesty International’s 8 June report documented survivors who described being trafficked, confined and forced to work in Cambodian scam compounds. A detention count therefore should not automatically be treated as a count of convicted scam operators.

Later raids show why the June number should stay tied to its dates

The June report was a snapshot, not the endpoint of the campaign. On 15 September, Cambodia’s Interior Ministry reported that authorities had raided 85 remaining small-scale suspected scam locations during August and detained 1,255 suspects from 13 nationalities.

For foreign residents and workers, the practical takeaway is that enforcement activity continued beyond the first half of June and can involve criminal, immigration and verification procedures that lead to different outcomes. For owners and managers of premises, the same campaign also includes scrutiny of how properties are being used. Neither a raid nor a detention, on its own, establishes criminal responsibility for a particular person or property owner.