As China increasingly cracks down on the massive fraud centers operating on its border with Myanmar, several countries in the region are also trying to stamp out the problem. Cambodia, with a population of 18 million people, launched its ‘Safer Internet Day’ campaign just a few days ago. about which the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Sar Sokha provided several statistics shared. According to this study, 48,000 foreign citizens have been deported since the crackdown on fraud centers began in 2023. However, they cannot go ahead as planned because the country’s police force is worryingly overstretched. The politician talked about the fact that there is roughly one police officer for every 3,100 citizens. As for Hungary, according to the most reliable data, this number is somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 inhabitants. That would be Sar Sokha when he talks about the launch of the campaign:
In addition to crypto scams, there are many more problems in Cambodia
In an effort to address police shortages, the Cambodian government has outlined a new initiative that will offer residents compensation for any tips that lead to the detection of fraud centers. In addition, the government imposes exit restrictions at airports to prevent victims from being taken along. They will mainly check women between the ages of 18 and 35 who do not have proper documentation, credible sponsors or sufficient funds, as well as tourists traveling with very little money. As part of the campaign, educational campaigns will be launched for the public on the dangers of artificial intelligence and how difficult it is to detect fraud using AI.
In January, China made headlines when Chen Zhi, one of Cambodia’s most influential foreign businessmen, was arrested for allegedly running a vast multi-billion dollar network of fraud centers based on pig slaughter-style crypto fraud and human trafficking. Since then, thousands of people have been deported after being involved in similar activities in casinos and other dubious businesses. Most deportees are victims of human trafficking and were forced to commit crypto fraud. They are mainly Chinese, but there are also people from other states in the region, and even Americans and Mexicans have been transferred to such centers. In this video you can see the inside of a liquidated center:
Since the action against the centers in Cambodia, 210,000 foreign citizens have voluntarily left the country, in addition to 48,000 deportees. although other factors, such as the armed conflict with Thailand in 2025, are likely to have played a role. Armed clashes and airstrikes took place there, and hundreds of thousands of people were reportedly forced to flee their homes. Although a peace agreement was reached at the end of December, brokered by US President Donald Trump, Cambodia continues to accuse Thailand of occupation and the fighting has not stopped.
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