Crime: Organized Crime Risks in Cambodia
Key Insights:
Cambodia has become a major hotspot for organized crime in Southeast Asia, where weak oversight and rapid economic expansion have enabled cyber-fraud networks, trafficking operations, and criminal groups linked to the casino sector to operate with growing sophistication. Scam compounds in Sihanoukville, Bavet, and Poipet mix digital exploitation with physical coercion, creating complex risks for businesses, NGOs, and travellers.
Key Events:
October 2025: In a study, South Korean nationals found reported cases of kidnapping and unlawful confinements rose from 220 in 2024 to 330 by August 2025.
June 2025: Authorities in Cambodia intensified its enforcement campaign against scam centers, resulting in over 2,000 arrests.
June 2025: Amnesty International reported approximately 53 scam compounds were operating with human trafficking, forces labour, and torture and concluded that state complicity in the abuses were evident.
Analysis:
Organized crime in Cambodia has been a rising concern driven by the convergence of rapid economic growth, loose regulatory enforcement, and rising foreign investment, particularly in sectors vulnerable to illicit activity. Cyber-enabled fraud networks have expanded throughout the country and across Southeast Asia, evolving from small-scale criminal rings into highly structured transnational operations. These networks blend digital exploitation with physical coercion, creating hybrid criminal threats that complicate law enforcement responses and expose foreign nationals to significant risk.
Prominent scam compounds in Sihanoukville, Bavet, and Poipet have seen increased forced labor and detention according to recent law enforcement agencies.
Families of the victims, primarily from South Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan, are pressured to pay large sums of money for their relatives’ release.
These criminal networks are closely linked to the casino economy and illicit finance hub which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cities such as Sihanoukville have criminal operations linked to Chinese gangs operating under the cover of foreign-owned businesses.
The expansion of the casino sector and unregulated entertainment industries has provided criminal networks with financial cover and logistical infrastructure. This includes Chinese “grey market” groups, which have expanded their footprint in recent years. A mix of genuine and foreign-owned companies has further blurred the line between legal and illicit activity, creating an opaque commercial landscape in which criminal operations can operate discreetly alongside legitimate business.
Simultaneously, the limited cybercrime capabilities and jurisdictional challenges in Cambodia have enabled these networks to scale regionally. Criminal groups have shifted more sophisticated digital fraud, including investment scams, deepfake-based impersonation schemes, and cross-border online extortion, leveraging Cambodia as a safe operating base. The combination of digital reach and on-the-ground coercion means that individuals even outside of Cambodia can be targeted by networks physically located inside the country. This widening of criminal scope presents rising risks not only to vulnerable migrant workers but also to international businesses, expatriates, and travelers who may inadvertently interact with or become targets of these operations.
Outlook and Recommendations
Concentric assesses the outlook for Cambodia’s criminal environment to remain high with organized crime expected to retain significance. Although there has been increased government pressure and international scrutiny, the combination of weak oversight, entrenched corruption, and persistent demand for illicit online scams will certainly sustain the profitability and resilience of these networks. Cities such as Sihanoukville, Bavet, Poipet are likely to remain as scam compounds and may continue to adapt, changing locations, digital infrastructure, and front companies to avoid detection.
Regionally, crackdowns in Myanmar, Laos, and the Philippines have already pushed cyber-fraud operators to relocate, suggesting Cambodia may face further inflows of criminal groups displaced from neighbouring countries.
For foreign businesses operating in Cambodia, particularly those in hospitality, property, logistics, and tech, the risk of inadvertent exposure to illicit networks, reputational harm, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities will remain elevated.
We advise business travellers, NGOs, and multinational enterprises operating in Cambodia to consider the following risk-mitigation measures:
Strengthen due diligence on local partners: Conduct enhanced background checks on business assets especially in areas where criminal infiltration is high.
Enhance staff safety protocols: Provide travel briefings, emergency contacts, and clear movement guidelines for personnel, particularly those arriving from countries whose citizens are commonly targeted for abduction or extortion.
Implement robust cybersecurity safeguards: Strengthen protection against phishing, ransomware, and targeted fraud attempts, which often originate from syndicates embedded within the region’s scam operations.
Develop crisis-response plans: Establish procedures for rapid staff relocation, abduction response, and secure communication in the event of localized crackdowns or criminal-group retaliation.
