Cambodia a 'cybercrime centre' now

Prasert says ruling elite aiding gangs

- POST REPORTERS

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has accused Cambodia of possibly harbouring the world's largest cybercrime networks backed by the ruling elite.

Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said yesterday the country was being watched as the world’s largest hub of transnational cybercrime, with clear indications that the illicit operations are supported by the country’s state apparatus and powerful people.

Mr Prasert pointed to reports, including one from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), that extensively detail the operations of cybercrime groups, online scams, and call centre gangs.

They are said to operate openly across many locations near the Cambodia-Thailand border, with Poipet, opposite Aranyaprathet district in Sa Kaeo province, serving as a major strategic base.