Cambodia's scam-compound crackdown intensifies, but gaps remain, watchdogs say

Since July 2025, Cambodian police report investigating 400+ scam-related cases, revoking or suspending 25 casino licenses tied to fraud, and deporting close to 19,000 foreign nationals linked to scam operations. A June 2026 Amnesty International report, however, found government intervention at only a fraction of identified compounds and documented continued trafficking, forced labor and abuse of foreign workers coerced into running the scams. For travelers, this is primarily a labor-trafficking and organized-crime issue rather than a direct tourist-safety one — but anyone offered a "too good to be true" job in Cambodia (or transiting through it) via social media should treat it as a serious red flag, and standard tourist areas (Siem Reap, Phnom Penh's core, the coast) remain unaffected by compound raids, which concentrate in casino zones and border areas like Poipet and Sihanoukville.