Cambodia to Host International Conference on Combating Online Scams Sept. 23–24

[Adrian]

Cambodia will host an international gathering in Phnom Penh this week aimed at strengthening cooperation against online scam networks and other forms of technology-enabled fraud.

The International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS-2026) will take place September 23–24, 2026, at the Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra under the theme “Acting Together towards Breaking the Chain and Eradication of Online Scams.”

The conference is being hosted by the Royal Government of Cambodia and co-sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (UNODC-ROSEAP), INTERPOL, and the Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Centre (LMLECC). Official ICCOS-2026 website

Governments and International Organizations to Meet in Phnom Penh

According to organizers, the two-day conference will bring together government officials, international organizations, law-enforcement agencies, financial institutions, technology companies, academics and other stakeholders.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet is scheduled to preside over the opening ceremony.

ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn will also deliver remarks during the conference's high-level session, according to ASEAN. ASEAN announcement

The official conference program identifies three primary goals: developing a better understanding of the changing online-scam ecosystem, strengthening international coordination and partnerships, and increasing the exchange of experiences and effective practices between participating countries and organizations.

Online Scams Have Become a Cross-Border Problem

Technology-enabled fraud has developed into a major transnational crime problem across Southeast Asia and beyond.

Large criminal networks have used social media, messaging services, cryptocurrency, fake investment platforms and increasingly sophisticated technology to target victims in numerous countries.

The problem extends beyond financial fraud. International organizations have also documented cases in which workers were recruited through deceptive job offers and trafficked into compounds where they were forced to participate in online scams.

UNODC has reported that large-scale scam centres have operated in several parts of Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, while criminal networks connected to the industry have increasingly expanded into other regions. UNODC research

Cambodia Has Expanded Its Anti-Scam Crackdown

Cambodian authorities have intensified enforcement against suspected online-scam operations since launching a nationwide campaign in July 2025.

According to Cambodian government figures, authorities investigated hundreds of locations linked to suspected scam activity during the following year. By the end of July 2026, officials reported that 605 suspected scam locations had been shut down, while 388 cases involving 4,147 suspects had been referred to the courts.

Authorities also reported that more than 21,000 foreign nationals from 38 countries had been processed for repatriation between July 2025 and July 2026. Agence Kampuchea Presse report

Those figures are government-reported statistics and have been part of an ongoing debate over the scale and effectiveness of Cambodia's enforcement campaign.

International Groups Have Called for Continued Scrutiny

Human-rights organizations have separately raised concerns about trafficking and forced labor associated with scam compounds in Cambodia.

In June 2026, Amnesty International reported that its research found evidence of government intervention at only 24 of 86 scam compounds it had identified by April. Amnesty argued that some operations continued despite the crackdown and called for greater protection of trafficking victims and additional investigation of compound operators.

The Cambodian government rejected Amnesty's assessment and said its enforcement campaign had targeted significantly more locations and produced substantial arrests, closures and deportations. Amnesty International report

International Cooperation Takes Center Stage

The Phnom Penh conference comes as online scam operations increasingly cross national borders.

Victims may be located in one country, suspected scammers or trafficked workers in another, financial transactions routed through several jurisdictions, and the criminal organizations operating across multiple countries.

That structure makes cooperation between law enforcement, governments, banks, technology companies and international organizations an important part of efforts to disrupt the networks.

ICCOS-2026 is scheduled to conclude on September 24, with participants expected to discuss ways to improve information sharing, law-enforcement coordination, prevention and international responses to technology-enabled fraud.

More information about the conference, including its program and participating organizations, is available through the official ICCOS-2026 website.