The Cambodian government has taken steps to shut down online scam centers following international pressure. Last Friday, the parliament passed a cybercrime law with strict penalties to control online fraud. International investigations have shown that workers trafficked from various Asian countries are being forced into digital fraud in these scam centers. According to various reports published in media outlets including Reuters, AP, The Guardian, BBC, and others, it is estimated that more than 100,000 people in Cambodia alone and thousands more across Southeast Asia have been trapped in such scam centers. The Kathmandu Post, citing the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok, published data two weeks ago that nearly 21,000 Nepalis have reached Cambodia since 2021.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, seven people trapped in these scam centers were rescued and brought to Nepal on Monday. In March alone, 80 Nepalis were rescued from various such scam centers in Cambodia on three occasions. With the help of the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok, the Cambodian government and the Non-Resident Nepali Association, Cambodia, 21 people were rescued on March 13, 51 on March 25 and 8 on March 31.

Krishna Prasad Neupane, chairman of the National Network for Safe Migration, said that the number of people from countries like Nepal, where digital literacy is low, reaching such scam centers is increasing due to various temptations. “In such incidents, the number of people who are lured through people they know or based on conversations on social media is high,” he said. “It seems that gangs of Nepalis and other human traffickers are involved in taking people who do not have any skills in the information technology sector to such centers via India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Myanmar, saying that they will make big money.” Although he has tried to help the victims legally, he believes that a strong awareness campaign is necessary considering the increasing number of Nepalis going to East Asia.

Citizens from Indonesia, Vietnam and South Asian countries are being lured into prison-like conditions and forced to commit online fraud by luring them with fake jobs, Reuters reported. Last week, BBC Radio broadcast a detailed report on Cambodia's 'scam city', Sihanoukville, and described the experience of a young Bangladeshi woman who managed to escape from there by working as a 'cyber slave'. 'I was tricked by brokers and taken there. I had to call elderly Americans from a call center in Cambodia and unlock their bank accounts,' he said. 'I managed to unlock many of their accounts and withdraw money. I was good at the work they gave me, but I knew it was wrong.' 

A new law passed by Cambodia's parliament has yet to be signed by the king. The new law provides for two to five years in prison and a fine of up to $125,000 for those involved in such scams. If an organized gang or multiple victims are involved, the punishment can reach up to 10 years. Similarly, international media outlets have reported that those involved in serious human trafficking can be sentenced to up to life imprisonment. Cambodian Justice Minister Keut Rith said, “The law passed is as tough as a fishing net. We have made this effort to completely stop online fraud.”

RFI Khmer journalist Noraksa Chop, who is aware of Cambodia’s complex political and social issues, praises the government’s initiative, but says that its implementation is important. “Everyone has praised the new law. The police have been raiding scam centers here in the past few days. This is a big step,” he told Kantipur. “The government’s commitment to eliminate all such activities 100 percent from Cambodia is positive. If it is not implemented effectively, it will only be an attempt to improve political image.’

Another investigative news published by The Guardian reveals that workers in such centers are forced to meet online fraud targets (KPIs) through surveillance, threats and violence. If they fail to meet them, they are beaten and tortured. The Guardian’s investigation has pointed out that young people are taken to Southeast Asia from countries like Nepal through social media or agents with false offers of high-paying IT or call center jobs and are forced to work in such jobs after their passports are confiscated. 

According to a report by the United Nations Human Rights Organization, they are forced to engage in online crimes such as crypto investment, romance fraud, financial fraud, unauthorized online transactions. According to the report, more than 300,000 foreign workers, including 120,000 in Myanmar, 100,000 in Cambodia, and thousands in Laos and the Philippines, are lured to such centers under the lure of easy digital employment and forced to work in slave-like conditions. The report also mentions that the rescued victims experienced beatings, imprisonment, and torture when they tried to escape. 

Since 2023, more than 250 Nepalis have been rescued from such digital scam centers in various countries in Southeast Asia and West Asia with the help of the International Labor Organization and others and returned to Nepal. In 2021, about 1,000 Nepalis visited Cambodia. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this number reached about 10,000 in 2025. This indicates that the number of Nepalis in such centers is increasing. According to the United Nations report, Nepal is among the 10 countries that reach scam centers in the Mekong region.

In the context of the passage of Cambodia's new law, regional control efforts are also being made. According to the international news agency AP, Cambodia has already sent back about 10,000 workers from 23 countries and closed hundreds of scam centers. Reuters reported that about 200 centers have been closed and thousands of workers have been laid off. Under the leadership of the United Nations, various countries have launched campaigns to prevent such centers from becoming centers for human trafficking. Myanmar has been trying to close such centers by mobilizing its military. Countries like China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Laos have also continued their efforts to control them.