Cambodia passes first law targeting scam centers amid crackdown
Cambodia's parliament passed its first law targeting scam centres, with penalties ranging up to life in prison for the most serious offences.
According to Justice Minister Keut Rith, the law focuses on strengthening the “cleaning operation” underway across the country, as well as ensuring that the scam centres don’t reemerge after the crackdown.
“This law is strict like the fishing net, strict to ensure we don’t have the online scams anymore in Cambodia, strict in order to serve the interest of the Cambodian nation and people," he told reporters, according to Reuters, adding that the issue affected the economy, tourism, and investment.
Online scammers now face two to five years in prison and fines of up to $125,000. More serious offenses, such as scams conducted by gangs or targeting many victims, could lead to 10 years in prison and as much as $250,000 in fines.
Leaders of scam rings involved in human trafficking, detention, and torture can face prison sentences of up to 20 years and a fine of $500,000. And bosses whose operations lead to the death of one or more people could face life in prison.
There are other penalties for those convicted of money laundering, gathering victims’ data, or recruiting scammers.
The law’s passage aims to "send a message to cyber scammers that Cambodia is not a place to do scams". The legislation will be submitted to Cambodia’s king for final approval.
This is the first law of its kind to be passed in Cambodia, where previously, suspects have been charged with offences like recruitment for exploitation, aggravated fraud, and money laundering.
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In February, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet told AFP in a rare interview with international media that scam syndicates are destroying the country’s economy, harming tourism and investment.
"The scam network, what we call the black economy, is destroying our honest economy. It has put a bad reputation on Cambodia," he said, adding that this is the reason “why we need to clean this out."
Authorities have organized multiple crackdowns on scam centers, but those have done little to stop them from spreading. According to officials, the new expanded campaign aims to shut down hundreds of sites and detain high-level figures.
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