When China intensified its crackdown on cybercrime, many involved in the industry relocated to Cambodia, transforming the country into a major hub for online fraud, forced labor, and human trafficking. These operations are largely run by Chinese criminal organizations that have established bases in casinos and business centers across Cambodia, often with the collusion of powerful local figures.
A key factor enabling this expansion is China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has facilitated increased Chinese investment and presence in Cambodia since 2013. While the BRI promotes infrastructure development and trade, it has also allowed criminal groups to infiltrate alongside legitimate enterprises, forming collusive relationships with local elites. Chinese crime syndicates operate fraud hubs such as the Bavet Business Center, a 100,000-square-meter complex described as a “fraud hub” by Cambodian NGOs, where thousands live and work under suspicious conditions.
There are also indications of ideological alignment between some criminal groups and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). For example, a former Chinese mafia boss established the “World Hongmen History and Culture Association” in Cambodia, which engages in fraud while also promoting CCP narratives such as the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”. This reflects a broader strategy of “united front work,” where overseas Chinese networks, including criminal organizations, are leveraged to shape international opinion in China’s favor.
Financial systems supporting these scams are also linked to China. The Cambodia-based payment platform HuiOne, banned in China, serves as a major money “gateway” for laundering illicit proceeds from online scams across the Mekong region, converting them into U.S. dollars and Chinese yuan. One of HuiOne’s directors, Hun To, is a cousin of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and has longstanding ties to Chinese organized crime.
Moreover, high-level complicity is alleged, with properties housing scam centers often owned by senior Cambodian officials or business elites connected to the government. In Poipet, near the Thai border, a casino allegedly run by a government-connected senator hosts Chinese-run scams. Similarly, the Life Sciences Institute, located within a telecom fraud park controlled by Cambodia’s Prince Group, has been linked to Chinese capital and political protection, with the group’s founder accused of acting as a “white glove” for elite CCP families.
While Cambodia has conducted raids and arrests—such as detaining around 1,000 foreigners, mostly Chinese and Koreans, in Kampong Speu province—the cyber scam industry continues to thrive, generating an estimated $12.5 billion annually and relying on the forced labor of approximately 100,000 to 150,000 people from over 50 countries. Despite joint efforts between Cambodia and China to combat online fraud, the deep entrenchment of these networks, supported by BRI-related flows of money and influence, makes eradication extremely difficult.
American Buddhist Net 