AKP Phnom Penh, April 03, 2026 --

An investigating judge at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court has issued separate detention orders for 18 suspects charged with technology-enabled fraud, according to a statement from the Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Online Scams (CCOS).

Judge Hok Peou ordered the provisional detention of the group for their alleged involvement in online scam operations based in the capital. The detention orders were dated April 1, 2026.

The suspects face charges of aggravated fraud committed as an organised group under Articles 377 and 380(5) of the Cambodian Penal Code. If convicted, they could face prison terms ranging from two to five years.

Among the 18 accused, 14 are Chinese nationals, two are Malaysian, one is Myanmar national, and one is Cambodian. Most of them were residing and operating out of a hotel located on Street 1019 in Trung Moan village, Sangkat O’bek K'am, Khan Sen Sok, Phnom Penh – the site of a previous crackdown on cyber fraud activities by authorities.

The male suspects have been remanded to Correctional Centre 1, while the female suspect is held at Correctional Centre 2, pending further judicial proceedings.

From July 2025 to March 2026, a nine-month period, Cambodian authorities in the capital and provinces cracked down on more than 250 technology fraud cases. Of these, 80 cases have been compiled into dossiers and sent to courts, involving approximately 750 suspects of various nationalities including Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, South Korean, Singaporean, and Cambodian.

Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet has made clear that Cambodia will not serve as a haven for cybercriminals engaged in fraud or cross-border offenses. Any individuals or entities behind such scams will face the maximum penalty without leniency or outside intervention, he said. The Royal Government is pursuing these measures with the goal of eradicating technology-enabled fraud in the country by the end of April.

By K. Rithy Reak