Japanese Scammers Deported from Cambodia

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Japanese Scammers Deported from Cambodia

A Cambodian police man directs traffic as a convoy of police vehicles that was reportedly carrying Japanese citizens who were taken into custody on suspicion of running phone scams moves along a street on their way to Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on April 11, 2023. Photo: AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File

Lay Sopheavotey
November 9, 2023 , 5:05 PM

PHNOM PENH – Twenty-five Japanese nationals involved with online fraud have been deported. They flew out on Nov. 8.

Keo Vanthan, spokesperson of General Department of Immigration, said Japan’s National Police Agency sent a special plane and police to take legal proceedings against them in Japan.

Cambodian police arrested the 25 in Chroy Changvar district in September at the Japanese Embassy’s request.

This is not the first case involving Japanese. In April, 19 suspects in similar cases were deported.

Online fraud has been one of the issues faced by Cambodia. The National Bank of Cambodia said in March that crooks used all forms of social media such as Telegram, Facebook and TikTok. They impersonated members of the victim’s family or relatives, friends and businesses.

A total of 2,100 foreigners have been rescued through complaints to the Minister of Interior since Aug. 2022, with crackdowns on foreign labor trafficking and human detention in Cambodia.

Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this article was translated by Nhor Sokhoeurn for Cambodianess.