Cambodia Passes First Cybercrime Law Targeting Scam Compounds

Cambodia’s parliament has passed its first cybercrime law targeting scam compounds and cross-border fraud, a move that could sharpen pressure on crypto-linked scam networks by giving Phnom Penh its first statute written specifically for the industry.

Reuters reported via The Straits Times on April 3, 2026 that Cambodia’s parliament approved the measure and sent it to King Norodom Sihamoni for final signature. Reuters said it is the country’s first law dedicated to scam centres, which makes the bill a legal milestone rather than another raid announcement.

What Cambodia’s First Cybercrime Law Covers

AP reported on March 30, 2026 that all 112 lawmakers present voted for the bill, making it Cambodia’s first legal framework aimed specifically at scam operations.

112 of 112

Before the final parliamentary step, the Phnom Penh Post reported on April 3, 2026 that the Senate was expected to take up the draft the same day, and that ordinary online-fraud offences would carry two to five years in prison plus fines of 200 million to 500 million riel. Reuters, in the reporting carried by The Straits Times, said fines can run as high as US$125,000.

The Phnom Penh Post said organising or directing an online scam centre would carry five to 10 years in prison, rising to 10 to 20 years for networked operations. If deaths result, the same report said penalties escalate to 15 to 30 years or life imprisonment.

Taken together, the ladder starts at two to five years for online fraud and rises to life imprisonment when deaths result. That gradation shows the bill is structured to separate individual fraud offences from organised, networked scam-centre activity.

Justice Minister Keut Rith framed the draft as intentionally severe in comments carried by Reuters via The Straits Times, arguing that Cambodia needed a law built to eliminate online scams rather than rely on piecemeal enforcement.

“This law is strict like the fishing net, strict to ensure we don’t have the online scams anymore in Cambodia.”

Keut Rith, via Reuters in The Straits Times

Why Scam Compounds and Cross-Border Fraud Matter

The statute should not be read as a crypto-only rule. Reuters described it as a law targeting scam compounds and cross-border fraud, a focus that matters to readers tracking how illicit proceeds can move across the same digital settlement rails used by legitimate products in the wrapped Bitcoin market.

That cross-border angle is already showing up outside Cambodia. The UK government said on March 26, 2026 that it had sanctioned the operator of #8 Park, which it described as having capacity for 20,000 trafficked workers, and also sanctioned Xinbi, a crypto-based marketplace it said was used by scam centres.

Because the UK sanctions tied one compound operator to one crypto-linked marketplace in the same March 26 action, the regional enforcement story is no longer only about raids. It is also about who controls the payment infrastructure that lets scam proceeds leave the compounds.

What the Passage Means for the Regional Enforcement Narrative

Official Cambodian reporting suggests the new law arrives after a large enforcement buildout. AKP said authorities sealed 236 scam-related sites from 2025 through the second week of March 2026, including 91 casinos and 145 residential locations.

The site breakdown matters because AKP’s count of 91 casinos and 145 residential locations shows the crackdown was not limited to obvious gaming venues. Cambodian authorities were already treating scam infrastructure as a dispersed network of work sites before the law reached final passage.

AKP also said Cambodian courts processed 79 online-fraud cases over the previous eight months and convicted 697 masterminds and accomplices of various nationalities. Those totals show the government already had a substantial case load before the first dedicated statute reached the finish line.

The legislative sequence is clearer than some headline summaries. AP placed the National Assembly vote on March 30, 2026, the Phnom Penh Post said the Senate was due to act on April 3, 2026, and Reuters reported later that day that parliament had passed the bill and sent it for royal signature.

With Reuters saying the bill still needs royal approval and AKP putting the recent enforcement base at 79 processed cases and 697 convictions, the immediate test is implementation. Regional observers can now judge whether Cambodia turns that offence ladder into faster cross-border cooperation against scam compounds and the crypto-linked channels around them.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency and digital asset markets carry significant risk. Always do your own research before making decisions.