Cambodia’s cybercrime law noted

Cambodia has passed its first law aimed specifically at online scam centers, after years of pressure over the country’s role in global cyber fraud. (abcnews.com) The National Assembly approved the bill unanimously on March 30, with all 112 lawmakers present voting yes. Justice Minister Keut Rith said the government wanted scam compounds shut by the end of April, and Reuters reported parliament gave final passage on April 3 before the law went to King Norodom Sihamoni for promulgation. (abcnews.com) (channelnewsasia.com) The law sets prison terms of two to five years and fines of up to $125,000 for online scams. Running a fraud site can bring five to 10 years and fines up to $250,000, while cases involving trafficking, illegal confinement, violence or a worker’s death can bring 10 years to life in prison. (channelnewsasia.com) (abcnews.com) Online scam centers are usually office compounds where workers use fake investment pitches, romance ploys and stolen data to trick victims into sending money. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Cambodia has been dealing with fraud tied to online shopping, identity theft, romance scams and crypto cases that require police, prosecutors and judges to handle digital evidence. (unodc.org) Cambodia’s law arrived as foreign governments increased pressure on Phnom Penh over forced criminality inside scam compounds. The U.S. State Department said in its 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report that corruption and official complicity, including by senior officials, remained widespread in trafficking crimes tied to online scam operations in Cambodia. (state.gov) Washington had already sanctioned Cambodian tycoon Ly Yong Phat, his L.Y.P. Group and linked hotels and resorts in September 2024 for human rights abuse tied to trafficked workers in online scam centers. Britain also sanctioned operators of what it described in late March 2026 as the largest scam complex in Cambodia, according to Reuters. (home.treasury.gov) (channelnewsasia.com) Cambodian officials say the crackdown is already large. Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith said authorities had targeted 250 suspected locations since July, shut 200 of them, opened 79 cases against nearly 700 suspects, and repatriated nearly 10,000 workers from 23 countries. (abcnews.com) Some analysts say arrests and raids have not always broken the money and protection networks behind the compounds. Jacob Sims of Harvard University’s Asia Center told the Associated Press that earlier crackdowns often left those networks intact, allowing operations to restart. (abcnews.com) The World Economic Forum included Cambodia’s law in its April 14 cybersecurity roundup alongside botnet takedowns and warnings about attacks on U.S. infrastructure. The Forum said its Centre for Cybersecurity was highlighting major developments from the past month, putting Cambodia’s legal change into a wider global cyber-risk discussion. (weforum.org)