AKP Phnom Penh, July 16, 2026 -- Cambodia will maintain an unwavering, rigorous crackdown on online scams and strictly prosecute all masterminds, accomplices, and facilitators under its laws, a senior official told a visiting U.S. diplomat on Wednesday.

H.E. Santepundit Chhay Sinarith, Senior Minister in Charge of Special Missions and Chairman of the Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Online Scams (CCOS), made the remarks during a courtesy call by Ms. Aleksandra Zittle, Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia.

During the meeting, H.E. Chhay Sinarith lauded the strong bilateral cooperation and close partnership between Cambodian and U.S. law enforcement agencies in combating cyber-enabled fraud.

Sharing insights from Cambodia’s law enforcement operations, the Senior Minister emphasised that the campaign to dismantle scam syndicates and raid their operations will remain consistent and relentless.

He stressed that Cambodia will strictly enforce legal actions against organisers, accomplices, perpetrators, and those facilitating these illicit networks to prevent any resurgence of these crimes.

He added that Cambodia welcomes close, transparent, and trustworthy cooperation with international partners to address this highly complex, interconnected global challenge.

In response, Ms. Zittle commended Cambodia’s institutional mechanisms, strategic measures, and tangible results in tackling cyber fraud. She acknowledged that transnational cybercrime is highly sophisticated, requiring robust and effective international cooperation.

The U.S. envoy affirmed that Washington, like Phnom Penh, considers the fight against online scams an urgent priority. She expressed hope that law enforcement agencies from both nations would identify new avenues to further elevate their joint efforts.

H.E. Chhay Sinarith also announced that Cambodia is slated to host an international conference on combating cyber-enabled scams in late September 2026.

By K. Rithy Reak