Cambodia has enacted a sweeping anti-cybercrime law imposing life imprisonment for scam ringleaders, with the harshest penalties reserved for operations involving violence and fatalities. The National Assembly unanimously passed the legislation, which also enables heavy fines, following the recent extradition of fugitive tycoon Chen Zhi and associate Li Xiong to China as part of a major crackdown on organized cybercrime networks.

Cambodia’s zero tolerance for violent scam operations 

All 112 lawmakers present in Cambodia’s National Assembly voted on March 30 to pass the Law on Combating Online Scams. The law passed Senate review today, April 3. It imposes severe penalties ranging from heavy fines to life imprisonment for those running forced-labor fraud compounds. 

Under the legislation, individuals suspected of being directors of fraud operations face 5 to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. If a scam operation involves human trafficking, illegal detention, or physical violence, the ringleaders face 10 to 20 years in prison. 

If a victim dies, often as a result of escape attempts or torture, the bosses face 15 to 30 years or even life imprisonment. 

Cambodian Justice Minister Koeut Rith told a news conference that passing the law aims to “send a message to cyber scammers that Cambodia is not a place to do scams.” 

In January 2026, Cambodian authorities arrested and extradited Chen Zhi, the 38-year-old chairman of Prince Group, to China. Chen, who once boasted of making $30 million daily from online scams, had his Cambodian citizenship revoked, and now he faces potential life imprisonment. 

Li Xiong, the former chairman of Huione Group, a Prince Group subsidiary, was also extradited. 

Enforcement of laws in Cambodia has historically been a challenge. Jacob Sims, a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Asia Center, noted that past crackdowns in the country often failed because they left the financial and protection networks for these criminals intact, allowing their operations to quickly restart. 

Furthermore, the U.S. State Department previously alleged that some senior-level officials were complicit in the schemes, but the government has so far denied the accusation. 

Are the scammers just moving to another country?

Experts have warned that while the pressure is forcing scam operations to end in Cambodia, the global scam economy, which is valued as high as $64 billion annually by the UN, cannot easily fall apart. The industry is simply spilling over into Africa and other parts of Asia.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently reported that the cyberscam industry has reached “industrial proportions.”

As crackdowns intensify in Southeast Asia, crime syndicates are expanding their operations into Africa, specifically targeting nations like Zambia, Angola, and Namibia where regulation is looser. The UN has worryingly described the spillover as “potentially irreversible.” 

According to a March 2026 report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC), South Africa has become a popular base for international scammers who operate targeting victims abroad.  

Interpol’s Operation Red Card 2.0, conducted from December 2025 to January 2026 across 16 African countries, resulted in 651 arrests and the recovery of over $4.3 million in illicit proceeds. 

In the meantime, following the extradition of scam kingpins in Cambodia, thousands of trafficked victims who were abandoned without their passports or money by fleeing compound managers have been left stranded at embassies in Phnom Penh or attempting to cross borders. 

Since July 2025, Cambodia has deported over 11,000 foreign nationals linked to the trade.

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