Cambodia: UNODC's map alleges that Cambodia is a global hub for scamming operations with alleged companies linked to high ranking officials
"UN agency map reveals Cambodia as global scammer hub", 18 June 2025
… International intelligence and reports suggest that the profits from these illegal enterprises are, in part or in large measure, connected to individuals close to the Cambodian political elite.
This is not mere speculation. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has released detailed findings on transnational organised crime, cybercrime, and online scam operations.
Their research includes a map of global scam centres, offering a sobering picture of the scale and geography of such activity.
The map, compiled by UNODC, clearly identifies multiple scam hubs along the Thai-Cambodian border…
The report highlights significant foreign investment in the area, which has evolved into both a hideout and operational base for scam syndicates targeting victims worldwide, including in Thailand…
These findings from the UNODC cast a spotlight not only on the country’s growing reputation as a cybercrime hub but also on the complex nexus of political power, economic desperation, and transnational crime now shaping Cambodia’s internal and external challenges…
A notable example is the LYP Group, which holds concessions in Cambodia’s Koh Kong Special Economic Zone. Its subsidiaries include Koh Kong International Resort Club, and Export-Import.
The group has been sanctioned and blacklisted by the United States for its alleged involvement in corruption, human trafficking, forced labour, and online fraud.
In a more politically sensitive case, a nephew of former Prime Minister Hun Sen has been implicated in large-scale online scam operations, including the embezzlement of over US$49 billion in digital assets since 2021.
He has also been linked to Huione Group, a major conglomerate accused of conducting illicit financial transactions, including money laundering and cyber theft, across the region.
The Huione Group has since been sanctioned by the United States and other Western countries. It has been cut off from the US financial system, with all American firms banned from opening accounts or conducting any business with the group.
Commander Trirong Phiewphan of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), revealed … that Thai cyber police have uncovered financial links between domestic online gambling and call-centre scam networks and an overseas company believed to be involved in money laundering activities…
Trirong stated that requests for information have been sent to various companies, most of which are based in Thailand and have shown differing levels of cooperation. In contrast, Huione Group has only provided partial responses in certain cases…