Exodus from Cambodian Scam Compounds Creates ‘Humanitarian Crisis’: Amnesty

Amnesty International warned Tuesday that mass escapes and releases from online scam compounds in Cambodia has created a humanitarian crisis, leaving thousands of people stranded on the streets without state support.

“This mass exodus from scamming compounds has created a humanitarian crisis on the streets that is being ignored by the Cambodian government,” said Montse Ferrer, Amnesty International’s regional research director. “Amid scenes of chaos and suffering, thousands of traumatized survivors are being left to fend for themselves with no state support,” she added.

Describing the situation as an “international crisis on Cambodian soil,” Ferrer noted that Amnesty’s researchers have met people from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas who are in “urgent need of consular assistance in order to help get them home and out of harm’s way.”

Amnesty estimates that thousands of people have escaped or been released from at least 17 scam compounds across Cambodia in recent weeks. At least 220,000 people are believed to be working in scam compounds across Cambodia and Myanmar alone, according to a 2024 UN report, with additional operations in Thailand, Laos and other countries.

Cambodia’s crypto scam compounds

Cambodia has emerged as a major hub for industrial-scale online fraud, including pig butchering investment scams, many of which use cryptocurrency to steal money from victims.

Rights groups said workers at the compounds are trafficked from abroad, stripped of passports and forced to work under threat of violence for criminal networks that generate billions of dollars in illicit revenue.

Amnesty said interviews revealed a chaotic and dangerous situation for those left without passports, money, medical care or a clear path to safety after leaving the compounds. All of those interviewed had escaped or been released within the past six weeks, including at least 11 within the past week.

Survivors described widespread and severe abuse inside the compounds. Several reported sexual assault by managers, including two pregnant women, while others recounted brutal punishments, including a man whose finger was cut off.

Amnesty said testimony corroborates evidence from more than 25 videos it geolocated earlier this month showing mass departures from scam sites. Many of those who fled are now stranded in Phnom Penh, the capital, and in need of food, shelter and medical help.

Survivors interviewed came from countries including Brazil, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, Kenya, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines and Madagascar.

Those interviewed reported little or no police or military presence during or after their escape, raising concerns about the role of Cambodian authorities. Some said guards beat people who tried to leave, while others described compounds being abandoned by managers, allowing detainees to walk out freely.

One survivor told Amnesty he witnessed a man being killed by a manager after attempting to escape. Ten others said police regularly visited their compounds, including to remove bodies, but took no action against those running the operations.

Another survivor, identified as Delilah, said many people died inside the compound where she was held near Phnom Penh. “People got sick but they don’t help us,” she said. “We had to force our way out because one guy is sick and he doesn’t want to die.”

Anti‑trafficking organizations told Amnesty that the Cambodian government is failing to properly identify and protect victims of human trafficking, leaving them vulnerable to further exploitation by organized criminal groups.

Scam groups in Southeast Asia

Amnesty’s warning comes amid increased international scrutiny of scam operations in Southeast Asia. Earlier this month, the chairman of Prince Holding Group, Chen Zhi, was arrested in Cambodia after being charged by U.S. authorities with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies linked to scam compounds that allegedly stole billions of dollars from victims.

The U.S. Justice Department has designated the group a transnational criminal organization and is seeking the forfeiture of more than 127,000 BTC, worth over $11 billion at current prices, tied to the scheme.

Authorities in Myanmar, backed by China, have also carried out arrests of organized crime figures and raids on known scam hubs, including KK Park. Leaders and top brass from regional mafia families who controlled the areas where these compounds were operating were taken to China and several were sentenced to death.

However, observers and rights groups say many enforcement actions appear largely symbolic, with reports that operators were tipped off in advance, leaving compounds empty by the time raids occurred.

Chen Zhi, for instance, enjoyed close ties with the Cambodian government, obtaining Cambodian citizenship and being granted a title by the King of Cambodia. Sanctioned money laundering network Huione Guarantee was also a subsidiary of a company that listed Hun To, the cousin of prime minister Hun Manet, among its board of directors.

Amnesty added urgent action is needed from Cambodian authorities and foreign governments alike to provide humanitarian aid, restore documents and facilitate repatriation for survivors.

““The people we have spoken to are deeply afraid,” Ferrer said. “These people urgently need their own governments to step in and help.”