AKP Phnom Penh, September 23, 2026 --H.E. Abhisantibindit Sar Sokha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, has identified four main factors contributing to the global rise of online scams, including in Cambodia, while announcing that the Ministry of Interior is studying the establishment of a National Centre for Combating Online Scams.

The Minister made the remarks during the High-Level Session of the International Conference on Combating Online Scams in Phnom Penh this morning, held following the Conference’s opening ceremony presided over by Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia.

According to H.E. Sar Sokha, the four main factors are the ease of committing online crimes with only an internet connection and electronic device; legal loopholes and jurisdictional gaps between countries; low investment costs coupled with potentially high returns; and changes in people’s lifestyles and commerce towards digital communication, digital payments and cryptocurrencies.

In response, the Royal Government of Cambodia, under the leadership of Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, has made combating online scams a top priority, including through the implementation of the Law on Combating Online Scams and the establishment of successive mechanisms, particularly the Ad Hoc Commission for Combatting Online Scams, as well as other relevant legal frameworks and instruments.

H.E. Sar Sokha said the Ministry of Interior, as a core agency of the Royal Government, is also studying and reviewing the possibility of establishing a National Centre for Combating Online Scams to enhance the timely and effective handling of online scam cases.

“The introduction of these legal frameworks and mechanisms is to support and achieve the firm political commitment of the Head of the Royal Government, which is to completely eradicate online scams from Cambodia and prevent this crime from resurfacing,” he said.

The Minister reported that from July 2025 to June 30, 2026, specialised forces of the Ministry of Interior at all levels had cracked down on 665 sites involved in online scams and conducted administrative inspections at 28,512 target locations.

The operations resulted in 268 cases being sent to court, involving 2,773 suspects, of whom 2,200 are currently detained. Authorities also deported 21,102 foreign nationals of 38 nationalities who were involved in online scam activities.

H.E. Sar Sokha further affirmed Cambodia’s commitment to working with partner countries and international organisations in combatting online scams. Such cooperation has resulted in the arrest and deportation of several key ringleaders, while efforts continue to track down and arrest fugitives in order to dismantle the networks behind these criminal activities.

The Minister stressed that Cambodia’s efforts combine law enforcement, institutional mechanisms and international cooperation with the aim of addressing online scams and eliminating the roots of the criminal networks behind them.

By C. Nika