Cambodian media reported on November 10 that authorities arrested 263 suspects, including 17 women, in a major campaign targeting an online fraud ring headquartered in Preah Sihanouk Province.
The large-scale raid took place on November 9 at the old Galaxy World Mobile in Sihanoukville.
During the raid, the police seized 860 ban computers, 4,129 mobile phones, 16 laptops and 14 tablets, all of which were believed to have been used for online fraud.
The police said the facility had been temporarily closed and handed over to District 4 Police, Sihanoukville City for management, while awaiting further legal procedures.
The suspects and the seized exhibits were transferred to the General Department of Migration and other authorities.
Cambodian authorities confirmed that the crackdown is part of a national campaign to crack down on technology-based scams and bring those responsible to justice, without exception.
Also on November 10, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to continue promoting the prevention of large-scale online fraud.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet reported on social media about meeting with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun but did not provide details about the talks in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Last week, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said that Foreign Minister Cho Hyun's visit to Cambodia included discussions on cooperation in fighting fraud-related crimes in Cambodia and the establishment of a joint police task force to address the issue.
Efforts to cooperate between South Korea and Cambodia came after the death of Park Min-ho, a 22-year-old South Korean citizen who was believed to have been tricked into going to Cambodia and forced to work in a fraud center before his body was found in state of torture and beating in August. Park Min-ho's death has sparked outrage in South Korea, forcing the government to send a delegation to Phnom Penh for emergency negotiations.
Online scams, many of which originate from Southeast Asian countries, have increased strongly in recent years. Thousands of people, many of whom were kidnapped or scammed, have been forced to work in heavily guarded and threatened housing areas.
The United Nations and other agencies estimate that online scams bring international criminal gangs billions of dollars a year. Cybercriminals fake friendships or offer fake investment opportunities to scam targets around the world.
According to South Korean officials, fraud centers in Cambodia are estimated to have around 200,000 employees, including 1,000 Koreans.
Last month, 64 Koreans arrested by Cambodian police were repatriated. About 50 of these were arrested shortly after arriving in South Korea on charges of being involved in online fraud.
