Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet stated that with the efforts of the authorities, the country has completely eliminated all major fraud schemes; however, he did not provide significant new evidence. According to him, "as a result of our efforts, we have completely eliminated all major fraud schemes in the kingdom." Cambodia held a two-day conference in collaboration with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and Interpol. At the event, the Prime Minister noted that no country can solve this problem alone, calling for joint efforts in this area.
Earlier in August, Cambodia announced the successful closure of hundreds of fraudulent institutions. However, experts claim that the country's authorities are not actively combating the criminal structures that facilitated the operation of these schemes. According to Mark Taylor, a consultant on human trafficking, "the Cambodian government has indeed closed most of the major sites, but has done relatively little to dismantle the criminal organizations managing these fraudulent operations."
U.S. Congressman Brian Mast has called for consideration of sanctions against key political figures in Cambodia, including one of the Deputy Prime Ministers, Neth Savoeun, due to their alleged connections to fraudulent centers. Reportedly, fraudulent operations significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with victims losing tens of billions of dollars. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the total losses related to fraud could range from $88.3 billion to $114.1 billion by 2025.
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