The United States has urged Cambodia to accelerate its nationwide campaign against online scam networks and ensure that the people operating them are held accountable.
US Chargé d’Affaires Aleks Zittle raised the issue during a meeting with Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith, who heads the Secretariat of Cambodia’s Commission for Combating Online Scams. According to the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, the talks focused on closer cooperation against transnational cybercrime targeting American citizens.
The two sides agreed to strengthen law-enforcement partnerships and work together to dismantle illegal scam centres. While acknowledging Cambodia’s year-long crackdown on scam compounds, Zittle called for faster action against their operators.
Chhay Sinarith said the nationwide campaign would continue and that authorities would pursue masterminds, accomplices, perpetrators and facilitators under Cambodian law. He also said Cambodia welcomes honest and trusted international cooperation on the problem.
Cambodia is scheduled to host an international conference on combating technology-enabled fraud in late September 2026. US officials have previously said Americans lost more than $100 million through scams originating in Cambodia.
Geopolitical analyst Seng Vanly said the renewed US pressure reflects growing international concern about Cambodia’s response. In his view, lasting reform will require more than visible raids: authorities must dismantle protection networks, prosecute those who knowingly provide property to criminal groups and cooperate transparently with foreign law enforcement.
Prime Minister Hun Manet reaffirmed Cambodia’s commitment to fighting online scams during talks with the US deputy secretary of state on June 9, saying the effort would continue until the networks are dismantled.
The scale of the regional problem continues to grow. In 2024, Americans lost at least $10 billion to cryptocurrency-linked scam syndicates operating across Southeast Asia, including Cambodia—up 66 percent from an estimated $6 billion in 2023.
Cambodian immigration authorities say more than 45,000 foreigners were deported in the first six months of 2026, including roughly 16,000 people linked to online scam activities.
Source: Kiripost. Original reporting by Mao Sreypich, published July 17, 2026.