Cambodia - October 2025

American, British and Singaporean prosecutors have brought charges against and seized hundreds of millions of dollars of assets belonging to the Prince Group, a Cambodian group of companies alleged to be the primary operator in the country’s multibillion dollar cybercrime and online scam industry. It is the first major legal action against the scam centre industry, which is believed to enjoy high-level state protection in Cambodia. The United Nations and experts estimate the industry’s annual turnover is equivalent to 40 to 60 per cent of Cambodia’s GDP and has a workforce of up to 200,000, many or most of whom are foreign nationals labouring under threat of violence. A South Korean student died working in one of the scam centres in August 2025, leading the Korean government to declare parts of Cambodia off-limits to its citizens. Researchers have accused the Cambodian government—as well as high-ranking politicians in neighbouring countries—of being at least complicit and arguably actively involved in the scam industry. 

Sources: Deutsche Welle, Reuters, Amnesty International, CNN