AKP Phnom Penh, December 01, 2025 — Cambodian authorities dismantled a major transnational online scam operation in Phnom Penh on Monday, arresting 28 suspects in a coordinated raid targeting a syndicate accused of romance fraud and digital extortion.

The operation, conducted by the Phnom Penh Municipal Administration’s Unified Command Committee, struck a suspected command centre within a villa in the capital’s Khan Chbar Ampov. Acting on intelligence, specialised units moved in on the morning of Dec. 1.

Of the 28 individuals detained, 27 are Vietnamese nationals and one is Cambodian, including six women. Investigators seized a significant operational cache from the premises, including 39 computer monitors, 11 CPUs, approximately 100 mobile phones, and a large quantity of SIM cards.

The suspects are believed to be part of a network that defrauds international victims by cultivating fake romantic relationships online before blackmailing them for money.

Following the raid, all suspects were transported to the Phnom Penh Municipal Police Headquarters for interrogation and legal proceedings. Technical forensic teams are analysing the seized equipment to identify the syndicate’s leadership and potential transnational connections.

"The arrest demonstrates our resolve," stated a senior official from the Unified Command Committee. "We have a zero-tolerance policy for cybercrime and will apply the strictest legal measures against all individuals involved in these schemes, without exception."

The raid marks the latest in a series of intensified crackdowns by Cambodian authorities on organised cybercrime rings, which have become a persistent regional issue. Cambodia has increasingly bolstered both cross-border cooperation and domestic enforcement to combat networks that often exploit trafficked or coerced foreign nationals to run online scams.

By K. Rithy Reak