Hundreds of people dragged suitcases, computer monitors, pets and furniture through the streets of Cambodia’s casino hub this week as they fled a suspected cyberfraud centre, following the arrest and deportation of the country’s most wanted alleged scam kingpin.
An exodus poured out of Amber Casino in the coastal city of Sihanoukville, long regarded as one of Southeast Asia’s most notorious scam hubs. Boarding tuk-tuks, Lexus SUVs and tourist coaches, those leaving appeared hurried and anxious, clutching whatever belongings they could carry.
“Cambodia is in upheaval,” a Chinese man said as he prepared to leave. “Nowhere is safe to work anymore,” he added on Thursday.
Similar scenes were reported at other alleged scam compounds across Cambodia this week as the government announced a renewed crackdown on the multibillion-dollar cyberfraud industry. But residents and analysts said many workers had already moved out days before authorities arrived, prompting accusations that the raids amounted to little more than “anti-crime theatre”.
From hubs across Southeast Asia, scam networks lure victims worldwide into fake romantic relationships and bogus cryptocurrency investments. Once focused largely on Chinese speakers, the operations have expanded into multiple languages, stealing tens of billions of dollars annually. Those running the scams are sometimes willing participants, but in many cases are trafficked foreign nationals forced to work under threats of violence.
AFP journalists visiting several alleged scam sites in Sihanoukville found few people willing to speak, and none agreed to be identified, citing fears for their safety. “Our Chinese company just told us to leave straight away,” said a Bangladeshi man outside Amber Casino. “But we’ll be fine. There are plenty of other job offers.”
Studded with casinos and unfinished high-rises, Sihanoukville’s rapid, loosely regulated development has turned it into a magnet for illicit online operations. Thousands of people are believed to work from fortified compounds scattered around the city.
The sudden departures followed the high-profile arrest in Cambodia and extradition to China of internationally sanctioned alleged scam boss Chen Zhi. Before being indicted last year by US authorities, Chen — a Chinese-born businessman — ran multiple gambling hotels in Sihanoukville. Prosecutors said his firm, Prince Group, was a front for a transnational cybercrime network.
A 2025 report by Amnesty International identified 22 scam locations in Sihanoukville alone, out of 53 nationwide. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimates global losses to online scams reached up to $37 billion in 2023, with at least 100,000 people working in the industry in Cambodia.
The Cambodian government insists the lawless era is over. Prime Minister Hun Manet has pledged to “eliminate… all the problems related to the crime of cyber scams”, while an anti-scam commission says it has raided 118 locations and arrested around 5,000 people in the past six months.
Following Chen’s deportation to China, authorities ordered Prince Bank into liquidation and froze home sales at several Prince Group luxury properties.
Yet doubts persist over the timing and effectiveness of the crackdown. A tuk-tuk driver in Sihanoukville said hundreds of Chinese workers left one compound before police arrived. “Looks like they were tipped off,” said the 42-year-old, declining to give his name.
Mark Taylor, former head of a Cambodia-based anti-trafficking NGO, said the “preemptive shifting of scam centre resources” ahead of raids suggested collusion. The strategy, he said, appeared designed to boost the government’s anti-crime credentials while allowing the industry to survive and adapt.
Amnesty has accused authorities of deliberately ignoring abuses by cybercrime gangs, which often lure workers with promises of high-paying jobs before holding them against their will.
On the highway toward Phnom Penh, several coachloads of Mandarin speakers headed inland. Many said they did not know where they were going next. Outside Amber Casino, clutching a fake designer bag, the Bangladeshi man summed up the mood: “This is about survival now.”
