Phnom Penh is gathering global law enforcement to showcase compound closures, but critics point to the missing billions and elite ties
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenAidan JonesPublished: 2:24pm, 22 Sep 2026Cambodia is set to present the outcome of its crackdown on scams to global governments and security agencies gathering in Phnom Penh this week.Yet questions remain over where the missing billions have gone – as well as the role of the country’s elite, who for many years denied the problem existed at all on Cambodian soil.
Scam compounds took over declining mega-casinos during the pandemic. As borders closed, gamblers were replaced with scam workers: many tricked, trafficked and forced to commit cyber fraud for Chinese criminal networks.
Under intense pressure from Beijing and Washington, Cambodia last year took belated action.
