Phnom Penh – Cambodia showed off a shuttered scam compound complete with counterfeit cash and a fake police station this week ahead of a global conference intended to burnish its antifraud credentials.
Around 20 countries, including the U.S. and China, will be represented at the meeting on Wednesday and Thursday, held amid international pressure on Phnom Penh do more to tackle the multibillion-dollar online scam industry.
Southeast Asia has emerged as a hub for crime syndicates running centers filled with scammers — some willing, some trafficked — who defraud internet users through fake romantic relationships or cryptocurrency investment schemes.
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