Cambodia deports 64 South Korean online scam suspects amid nationwide crackdown

Cambodia deported 64 South Koreans involved in online scams, part of a nationwide crackdown on cybercrime. The move follows deaths of South Korean students and strengthens bilateral cooperation with South Korea to prevent fraud, maintain safety, and prosecute criminals

Phnom Penh: Cambodia deported 64 South Korean online scam suspects, including five women, to their birth country, said a news release from Cambodia’s Ad-Hoc Committee to Combat Online Scams on Saturday.

The suspects were expelled from the kingdom through the Techo International Airport in southern Kandal province, the news release said, adding that the group would face legal action in South Korea.

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“They were deported to their birth country after the authorities found that they were involved in online fraud,” the news release said.

It was not the first time the Southeast Asian country sent South Korean nationals back to their home country, the news release said, adding that in the recent past, the kingdom also deported 180 South Korean nationals.

Cambodia has launched an unprecedented nationwide crackdown on cyber scam networks, aiming at maintaining and protecting security, public order, and social safety.

According to Cambodia’s Ad-Hoc Committee to Combat Online Scams, the kingdom had arrested a total of 3,455 online scam suspects in 20 nationalities in nearly four months, Xinhua news agency reported.

An online scam is a deceptive practice over the internet to steal money or personal information. Common types include phishing, where fake emails/websites trick you into giving up data, and various social engineering tactics like romance scams, fake job offers, and tech support scams. To protect yourself, avoid sharing personal information, be wary of unsolicited messages or too-good-to-be-true offers, and use strong, unique passwords.

On Thursday, Cambodia pledged to solve the online scam crime issue with South Korea, vowing to continue to enhance cooperation.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet met South Korean Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Ji-na in Phnom Penh, where they discussed ways to combat violent organised crime in Cambodia after a South Korean university student was found dead after being tortured by criminal groups.

“We also discussed joint efforts in combating transnational crimes, particularly online scams – emphasising that cooperation between the Cambodian and Korean authorities over the years has yielded many fruitful outcomes,” Hun Manet wrote on the US social media company, X.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the two nations would continue to strengthen collaboration “to prevent, suppress, and combat online scams more effectively, contributing to the maintenance of peace, public order, and social security.”

Park Min-ho, a 22-year-old South Korean university student, was found dead in August in Cambodia’s Kampot province after being tortured by criminals. A South Korean woman was also found dead on October 7 in Vietnam near the Cambodia border.

During her meeting with the Cambodian Prime Minister, Kim had expressed “strong regret” about the increasing online job scams targeting South Koreans in Cambodia, urging cooperation and efforts to put an end to the crime, according to Yonhap News.