FBI Director Kash Patel sat down with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Wednesday to discuss a coordinated international push against large-scale online fraud operations that drain billions of dollars from victims around the world each year.
A report released Tuesday by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime put the estimated losses from these scams at up to $114 billion across the Asia-Pacific region in 2025 alone. The report also cautioned that while authorities have been raiding massive scam facilities concentrated along the border areas of Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, criminal networks have responded by relocating to other parts of the globe or breaking into smaller, harder-to-detect operations.
Patel traveled to Cambodia after first stopping in neighboring Thailand, which co-hosted a two-day international summit alongside the United States. The gathering drew representatives from nearly 20 nations and hundreds of law enforcement personnel all focused on the scam center crisis.
While in Thailand, the FBI director also met with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to discuss cooperation on scam centers and other cross-border crimes including human trafficking and drug trafficking, with a particular focus on sharing intelligence and information between agencies.
Cybercrime has taken deep root across Southeast Asia, where law enforcement capacity is limited — especially in Cambodia and Myanmar. These scam centers are closely tied to human trafficking operations. Thousands of foreign workers, many lured in with false promises of legitimate employment, are forced to run so-called “romance” scams and cryptocurrency fraud schemes under conditions resembling modern-day slavery.
Cambodia says it has stepped up its crackdown on these operations this year. A statement from the U.S. Embassy described the spread of scam centers there as “a top priority for the U.S. government,” adding that Washington values Prime Minister Hun Manet’s commitment to addressing the issue and is working closely with the Cambodian government toward that goal.
The embassy said Patel’s visit “reinforces the need for strong, joint efforts to combat transnational cybercrime, including increased efforts to hold high-level scam bosses accountable and for improved information sharing regarding complicit officials and scam compound owners.”
The U.S. also stated it “fully supports efforts to ensure justice for victims and criminal accountability for online scam operators, those who enable or protect them, and those complicit in related human trafficking crimes.”
Prime Minister Hun Manet announced through his Telegram account that Cambodia plans to host its own international conference focused on fighting cyber scams this coming September.
