Cambodia launched what it described as its largest-ever campaign against online scam operations in July 2025, pledging to eliminate criminal networks responsible for large-scale fraud targeting victims worldwide1. Authorities have since announced the closure of more than 200 scam centers and the arrest of several prominent gang leaders1.
- Cambodia announced the closure of more than 200 scam centers and the arrest of several prominent gang leaders1
- Amnesty said more than 70 percent of scam compounds it identified appear to have been bypassed during the crackdown1
- The report includes testimony from 73 survivors from 16 countries1
Amnesty International's 150-page report, titled Falling Through the Cracks: Cambodia's "Crackdown" on Scamming Compounds, challenges government claims that the campaign significantly weakened criminal networks operating across the country1. Amnesty said more than 70 percent of scam compounds it identified appear to have been bypassed during the crackdown1. Of 86 compounds identified by the organization, evidence of state intervention was found at only 24 locations, and Amnesty documented mass releases or escapes at seven additional compounds1.
The report follows Amnesty's June 2025 investigation, which documented widespread slavery, human trafficking, forced labor and torture at more than 50 scam compounds across Cambodia1. The latest research identifies an additional 33 compounds and includes testimony from 73 survivors from 16 countries who were held in scam centers during the government's crackdown1. Those survivors came from countries across Africa, Latin America and Asia, including Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Morocco, Niger, Uganda and Venezuela1. Amnesty said none of the 73 survivors interviewed had been officially recognized as victims of human trafficking, despite the organization concluding that they all met internationally accepted criteria1.
The report alleges that police interventions were often ineffective, delayed or undermined by apparent collusion between compound operators and law enforcement officials1. It also highlights concerns over links between scam compounds and licensed casinos: Amnesty said an earlier investigation found that a dozen casinos connected to scam operations had received state approval despite the ongoing crackdown, and the new report identifies four additional casinos allegedly linked to compounds involved in scam activities1. Six women interviewed for the report said they had been subjected to rape or other forms of sexual abuse1.
"The Cambodian government has carefully managed the optics of its scamming crackdown, but behind every headline about a compound raid or arrest are survivors of slavery, torture and rape left with almost no support."
The Cambodian government had not responded to Amnesty International's questions regarding the report at the time of publication1.
What it means for players
The report concerns scam compounds and the fraud operations run from them, not licensed gambling venues, but it draws a direct link between some compounds and casinos that received state approval1. For anyone gambling in Cambodia, that connection matters because it is the licensed sector, not the illegal one, that a visitor or resident is most likely to encounter. Amnesty's finding that a dozen casinos connected to scam operations had received state approval, with four more identified in the new report, has not been matched by any published list of which venues are involved, and the government has not released detailed information on which compounds were investigated, what evidence was collected, or how closure figures were verified1. Readers looking at online casinos in Cambodia or gambling in Cambodia generally have no public way to check a venue's ownership against the allegations in the report. Separately, the recruitment side of these operations is a known risk: people have been trafficked into scam work after being promised jobs, and the report describes survivors moved between compounds to avoid police detection1. Background on how these schemes operate and how to report them is in gambling scams and safety in Asia.
What happens next
Amnesty urged Cambodian authorities to investigate all scam compounds and associated businesses, properly identify and assist trafficking victims, and address shortcomings that have hindered enforcement efforts1. No government response to the report had been reported at the time of publication1.
