Cambodian online fraud gangs reappear near Vietnam border

In Bavet, a southern Cambodian border city about 160 kilometers southeast of Phnom Penh, a jeep and two vans stopped in front of a grocery store near a Vietnamese border checkpoint on the afternoon of Oct. 18. The trunks were packed with more than 10 desktop computers and monitors, and inside sat several local residents and women of other ethnicities wearing heavy makeup.

A nearby resident said the area rarely uses computers because of frequent blackouts and added that the people were likely members of Chinese crime groups involved in online scams, including romance fraud.

Online scam networks that once centered in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville are reportedly relocating to border areas such as Bavet to evade increased crackdowns. Some have expanded operations across borders into Vietnam, Myanmar, and Laos. Despite stepped-up joint enforcement by South Korean and Cambodian authorities, officials warn that core networks moving to neighboring countries could complicate arrests and victim recovery.

Bavet has become a hub for gang members fleeing Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is only about 66 kilometers away, roughly an hour’s drive across the border. Near the checkpoint, long lines of vehicles crossed between the two countries. About three in 10 people at inspection points appeared to be of different ethnicities and carried multiple computer devices.

A Bavet resident said many of the migrants are Chinese syndicate members from large criminal compounds. He added that several hidden routes allow them to cross the border illegally into Vietnam.

Earlier this month, a Korean woman in her 30s was found dead in Vietnam after reportedly crossing from Cambodia near Bavet. Meanwhile, 64 Koreans repatriated from Cambodia are under police investigation, and authorities will decide on arrests once their connections to criminal networks and the extent of damages are confirmed.


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