A series of alarming reports from Thai media outlets have painted Cambodia as a prime “scam hub”, but an insight documentary by Channel News Asia (CNA), featured Thailand’s pivotal role as a transit point for trafficked victims heading to scam centres across the region.
As the epidemic of online scams, including notorious “pig butchering” operations, spreads across the Southeast Asian landscape, Thailand’s position as a critical transit hub for victims, trafficked under the guise of employment opportunities, has come under intense scrutiny.
Victims, often lured by promises of lucrative jobs, are trafficked through Thailand before being smuggled into neighbouring Myanmar and Cambodia, where they are forced to participate in the fraudulent schemes that defraud billions of dollars from unsuspecting victims globally.
One high-profile case involved Xiao Hao, a young seafarer from Shandong, China, who, after being promised a job on a Thai-docked ship, was transported to Thailand and then forcibly smuggled across the border into Myanmar.
“Instead of Bangkok, Xiao was transported into Tak, a border province and notorious transit point used by human traffickers to smuggle victims like him into Myanmar, where they’re locked up, tortured, forced to scam unsuspecting targets around the world,” said the report, CNA’s How Southeast Asia Became Scam Hub for China-Linked Syndicates, Insight, published on June 20.
The truth behind such cases highlights a complex issue: While Thailand itself may not be a direct haven for these scam operations, it has emerged as an essential step in human trafficking and scam networks.
Despite Thailand’s efforts to curb the spread of these crimes, including active participation in trilateral operations with China and Myanmar and cutting off resources to scam centres along the Thai-Myanmar border, its effectiveness remains questionable.
The porous nature of Southeast Asia’s borders and the adaptive capabilities of criminal networks mean that law enforcement often finds itself several steps behind.
The UN estimates that approximately 120,000 people have been trafficked to scam centres in Myanmar, and another 100,000 in Cambodia.
These victims are often transported through Thailand, further complicating the Kingdom’s already strained position.
According to Ratchana Jayagupta, a member of Thailand’s national anti-trafficking committee, featured in the insight article, the Golden Triangle region, encompassing Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, has long been a hotspot for drug production, but it has now expanded to house scam operations.
Thailand, therefore, stands as a key transit hub in this illicit trade, making it more vulnerable to international criticism despite its ongoing anti-trafficking measures.
The Nation Thailand said that a report titled “Inflection Point: Global Implications of Scam Centres, Underground Banking, and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast Asia” uncovers a complex web of physical and digital infrastructure fuelling this crisis.
It alleged Cambodia’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and border regions have become prime locations for scam centres, with cities like Sihanoukville, Phnom Penh and Poipet seeing rapid expansion in buildings linked to fraud.
“Satellite imagery from 2022-2025 reveals significant growth, particularly in Pursat and Tbong Khmum provinces, indicating large-scale investments in fraudulent operations such as online gambling platforms and software services,” the Thai media alleged.
These networks operate using unlicensed payment processors, access illegal online markets and even develop their own blockchain systems.
Cambodian authorities argue that Cambodia is more often a victim of foreign criminal elements than a perpetrator.
Deputy Police Commissioner Seang Thearith has vigorously condemned the negative portrayals of Cambodia, pointing out that the majority of perpetrators are foreign nationals who exploit Cambodian borders and lax technological infrastructure to run their operations.
Cambodian authorities have also ramped up efforts to combat human trafficking, strengthening border security, enhancing training for immigration officers, and using technology to track movements across borders.
“Criminal networks are often transnational, and online fraudsters do not primarily reside in Cambodia,” said Thearith.
He said they come from other countries, and it is essential for those countries to do their part to prevent their nationals from participating in these crimes.
This sentiment was echoed by Chou Bun Eng, vice-chairwoman of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT), who rejected claims that Cambodia benefits from scam operations.
“These crimes harm our economy and tarnish our international reputation,” she claimed.
“No government would want to attract such criminal activity,” she added.
Despite ongoing efforts, the nature of modern fraud schemes, driven increasingly by digital technology, means that countries like Cambodia, which have relatively weaker cybercrime defences, continue to be targeted.
As Cambodia and other regional governments push back against what they consider unfair blame, they face the daunting challenge of strengthening cooperation with their international counterparts and curbing the influence of cyber-enabled crime.
The Thai-Cambodia media dispute highlights the broader issue of regional cooperation — or the lack thereof — when addressing transnational crimes.
While Thai media reports often cast Cambodia in a negative light, Bun Eng noted that the problem of online fraud is not isolated to Cambodia but a global phenomenon, where crimes increasingly intertwine with other forms of transnational offenses.
This convergence amplifies the difficulty in enforcement and requires coordinated international responses.
