Cambodia freezes more than $300m in scam crackdown

Cambodian authorities said in a Nov. 6 government briefing that they had frozen more than $300 million in bank accounts in a nationwide campaign against online scam operations.

The freeze, equivalent to S$385 million, puts the financial track of the campaign on a scale comparable with other frozen property valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, while 18 Prince-linked casino licences were revoked and 10 more suspended.

Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith, head of the Commission for Combating Technology-enabled Scams, outlined the measures to foreign diplomats and international organisations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Phnom Penh.

“Cambodia is actively conducting in-depth investigations and building close collaboration with international law enforcement agencies – including the FBI and Interpol – to dismantle these transnational criminal syndicates at their roots,” a commission summary of the briefing said.

The commission said authorities are examining financial structures, concealed assets, cryptocurrency use and casinos allegedly running illicit online gambling operations under false pretences. The measures were presented as part of an effort to prosecute scam ringleaders and disrupt money-laundering channels.

According to the commission summary, the 18 revoked casino licences were linked to the Prince Group network associated with Chen Zhi and Li Kuong. Sinarith was responding to information concerning U.S. sanctions targeting individuals and entities associated with the network, the summary said.

The Cambodian authorities also reported freezing movable and immovable assets valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. The commission summary did not attribute the full amount frozen in bank accounts to Prince Group.

Other frozen assets, including property valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, are subject to legal procedures that could lead to confiscation, according to the briefing. Sinarith said authorities were using digital evidence from electronic devices and technology systems to build cases against ringleaders without waiting for victim complaints.

Between July 1, 2025, and Oct. 31, 2026, authorities acted at 972 suspected locations across Cambodia and prepared 568 cases for court proceedings. During the same period, 5,032 suspects were charged and placed in pretrial detention pending further judicial procedures, according to figures presented at the meeting.

The authorities also repatriated 23,760 foreign nationals from 38 nationalities. Sinarith said people deceived into entering scam operations would be treated separately from those who voluntarily participated in scams or continued unlawful activities for financial gain.

The briefing was attended in person by 46 members of the foreign diplomatic corps and representatives of international organisations accredited to Cambodia. Another 18 representatives of Cambodian diplomatic missions abroad joined virtually.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the 11 action points of the Phnom Penh Declaration to strengthen international cooperation against online scams. Sinarith appealed to foreign governments, international organisations and media to provide information, leads and evidence to Cambodian authorities.