Cambodia enacts law against online scammers
Scam operators can face up to life imprisonment.
As part of Cambodia's crackdown on online scam operations across the country, its Law on Anti-Technology Fraud is now in effect.
The new anti-scam legislation came into force following Senate's approval and Acting Head of State Hun Sen's signing of a royal decree.
The goal is to penalise scammers, from individual fraudsters to big-time ringleaders, under a tiered system.
Aside from fines, the penalties range from a few years in jail to lifetime imprisonment. The higher penalties will be for leaders of scam operations that involve human trafficking, forced labour, torture, or deaths.
Justice Minister Keut Rith was quoted by Reuters as telling reporters: "This law is strict like the fishing net, strict to ensure we don’t have the online scams anymore in Cambodia, strict in order to serve the interest of the Cambodian nation and people."
So-called scam centres in Southeast Asia have been making headlines in recent years, with those who had managed to escape or had been rescued through raids sharing their experiences of inhumane practices.
As of February 2026, Cambodia has closed around 190 of these online scam centres.
