Recent days have seen the release or escape of thousands of people from scam compounds across Cambodia. A development widely viewed as the result of mounting international pressure on the country’s vast online fraud industry. Reports from foreign embassies, particularly Indonesia and China, suggest large numbers of nationals have been freed, while Amnesty International has verified multiple incidents across at least 10 compounds. Although precise figures remain unclear, human rights groups estimate the number of released workers to be in the thousands.
The circumstances surrounding the releases remain murky. Amnesty researchers say police appear in some footage but not others. This raises questions about whether authorities are actively facilitating the exits or merely responding after the fact. Human rights advocates warn that many freed workers lack access to basic support, leaving them vulnerable to being re-trafficked or relocated to new scam operations. A pattern seen in previous crackdowns.
Cambodia’s scam industry has expanded rapidly in recent years, with the UN estimating that around 100,000 people are forced to work inside compounds. Many victims were lured by false job offers and later coerced into carrying out online fraud, including romance scams and cryptocurrency schemes. Analysts describe the recent mass releases as unprecedented, linking them directly to intensified international sanctions and enforcement actions.
A key turning point came with the sanctioning, arrest, and extradition of Chen Zhi, a powerful tycoon accused by the US and UK of running a transnational scam empire. His detention represents the strongest move yet against criminal syndicates operating in Cambodia and appears to have accelerated pressure on the government to act.
Sustained Pressure or a Temporary Crackdown?
Despite public pledges by Prime Minister Hun Manet to eliminate cyber scams, skepticism remains. Experts argue that without sustained international scrutiny, the industry will simply resurface, given its enormous economic scale and deep entanglement with political and economic elites. US government reports have accused senior Cambodian officials of benefiting directly from scam operations, claims the government firmly denies.
Cyber scamming is estimated to generate more than $12.5bn annually, roughly half of Cambodia’s formal GDP. Therefore, the future of the crackdown will depend less on isolated arrests and more on whether international pressure can be maintained. At least, long enough to dismantle a system that has become structurally embedded in the country’s economy and power networks.
Reference
Ratcliffe, R. (2026, January 21). Thousands of workers flee Cambodia scam centres, officials say. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/21/thousands-of-workers-flee-cambodia-scam-centres-officials-say