A South Korean government team is in Cambodia seeking to stop South Korean citizens from being kidnapped, violently abused and in at least one case killed by gangs running online scam centers in the Southeast Asian country.
The task force is part of the urgent measures taken by Seoul following the death in August of a South Korean student at the hands of alleged scammers, who had lured him to the country under the promise of work.
Why It Matters
Online scam centers, many of which force people to work in defrauding people online, have mushroomed in some of the more lawless corners of Southeast Asia over recent years and are behind multibillion dollar fraud around the world, as well as human trafficking, kidnapping and violent crime.
This week, the United States and Britain imposed sweeping sanctions on a Cambodia-based network that they said was responsible for kidnapping and abuse in Cambodia and extensive fraud, in their countries and around the world.
What To Know
The South Korean government team arrived in Cambodia late on Wednesday and hopes to meet Prime Minister Hun Manet in their bid to keep South Koreans out of Cambodian scam centers, the Yonhap news agency reported.
South Korea has become particularly alarmed by the problem in the weeks after the student’s killing in the southern Cambodian province of Kambpot, where scam centers are known to operate. He was said to have been tortured by members of a scam center gang.
Cambodia says it is cooperating with international efforts to tackle the scam centers and it ordered a crackdown in July.
The young South Korean man, who authorities have not identified, left home in July, telling his family he was traveling to Cambodia for an exhibition. Cambodian police listed his cause of death as cardiac arrest resulting from torture and pain, Yonhap reported.
South Korea also wants an investigation into the death of a South Korean woman in her 30s, whose body was found on the Cambodian-Vietnamese border last week, on suspicion she, too, might have run afoul of scam center gangs, Yonhap said.
South Korea estimates that 1,000 of its citizens are working in scam centers in Cambodia and on Wednesday banned citizens from traveling to parts of that country where the scammers operate.
South Korea’s action comes as international efforts to stop the scam centers are increasing.
The U.S. Treasury Department said this week it had taken what it described as the largest action ever in Southeast Asia, targeting 146 people linked to the Cambodia-based Prince Group conglomerate, which it designated a transnational criminal organization.
Britain also sanctioned six entities and six individuals, including Prince Group’s chairman, Chinese-Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, who U.S. prosecutors accused of running forced-labor camps in Cambodia, where people carry out cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes.
Chen was indicted on October 8 in a Brooklyn federal court on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, according to court papers made public on Tuesday.
U.S. prosecutors also said they had seized around 127,271 bitcoin, worth about $14.2 billion, in funds traceable from the crimes.
The Prince Group did not respond to a request for comment.
What People Are Saying
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on Tuesday: “Today’s action represents one of the most significant strikes ever against the global scourge of human trafficking and cyber-enabled financial fraud. By dismantling a criminal empire built on forced labor and deception, we are sending a clear message that the United States will use every tool at its disposal to defend victims, recover stolen assets, and bring to justice those who exploit the vulnerable for profit.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement this week: “The rapid rise of transnational fraud has cost American citizens billions of dollars, with life savings wiped out in minutes. Treasury is taking action to protect Americans by cracking down on foreign scammers.”
What Happens Next
During previous crackdowns, scam center operators have often gone to ground only to reappear and resume operations elsewhere.
