Amnesty alleges Cambodian officers guarded scam compounds

By Sophie Lindqvist

More than 20 Cambodian police and military personnel had an active presence at scam compounds, according to Amnesty International’s findings presented to Cambodian authorities.

Those findings came as the interior ministry pursued the crackdown Cambodia launched in July 2025, its largest-ever operation against scam compounds.

Amnesty International is a rights group, not a court or regulator. The document alleges that thousands were forced to work in online fraud, within a system that enabled slavery and rape, while Cambodian authorities supplied a separate enforcement response.

What did Amnesty investigate?

Amnesty interviewed 151 survivors of scam compounds. Investigators also visited 82 compounds in Cambodia. They reviewed social-media videos from dozens of guard accounts.

The report, titled Official Business: Security companies and authorities at scamming compounds in Cambodia, links five well-connected private security companies to illicit operations inside Cambodia, extending scrutiny from compound guards to the firms that employed them.

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general, said: “For years, survivors of these nightmarish compounds described encountering members of the Cambodian military or police inside. These accounts could not be independently verified – until now.”

She said the inquiry exposed long-suspected links between Cambodia’s billion-dollar criminal networks and politically connected figures who had remained beyond scrutiny. Its central allegation concerned the security companies themselves.

In practical terms, the firms served as the compounds’ gatekeepers. Their guards controlled exits, hunted down people who escaped, and enforced compliance through fear and violence. Callamard said the wider system of mass exploitation could not have functioned without them.

What abuses did survivors describe?

Hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked into Southeast Asia from around the world, according to the United Nations. Many were lured by promises of office jobs, then forced to work in online scams targeting victims globally.

“Pig butchering” is a form of romance fraud. The fraudster builds a false relationship, gradually fattens up the target, and then steals the target’s money.

Survivors described electric shocks, beatings, and detention in what they called dark rooms. Guards also stood watch while compound managers raped women, according to their accounts.

Amnesty alleged that some guards used electric batons to prevent people from escaping. Its investigation linked the security arrangements to forced labor, slavery and rape.

Which companies and officials are named?

Amnesty said Leap Somnang had the largest footprint among the security companies it identified. The firm was linked to at least 15 compounds across eight provinces.

Twelve survivors identified Leap Somnang’s guards, uniforms or logo. That testimony, combined with the company’s apparent presence across multiple sites, gave Amnesty a documented evidentiary basis for identifying the company as an alleged operator.

Amnesty believed Ban Sophat controlled Leap Somnang. He publicly served as its chair while also holding the rank of colonel in Cambodia’s armed forces.

Amnesty supplied photographs that it said showed Ban with Leap Somnang guards at two compounds. Ban denied holding any ownership, director or management role in the company.

His letter said he had “served as an adviser to the company owner”. He also stated: “The fact that I may appear in a photograph taken at a particular location does not mean that I have knowledge of, or involvement in, the activities or operations conducted there.”

What has the Cambodian government done?

Annual losses from the industry were estimated at about $100 billion, exceeding the gross domestic product (GDP) of several regional countries and increasing pressure on Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to act. Amnesty also reported signs that parts of the industry are moving to South Asia.

Cambodia launched its largest-ever crackdown in July 2025 and promised to eliminate the criminal networks. Authorities say they have shut down hundreds of scam centers, while Amnesty describes the Cambodian industry as dormant.

Callamard said dormant compounds do not mean the problem has ended. She said the infrastructure of impunity remains intact until those who staffed, managed, financed and protected the system answer for their roles.

Amnesty presented its findings to Cambodian authorities. In response, the interior ministry said its ongoing crackdowns had disciplined 77 police officers, prosecuted six private security guards for illegally using stun batons, and detained 17 military, police and civil officials for colluding with criminals.

The ministry also said 3,477 suspects had been sent to court. It described its policy as one of no tolerance, no exemption and no retreat, intended to stop Cambodia becoming a haven or operating base for transnational criminal networks.

Leap Somnang did not respond to Amnesty. The Guardian said it had contacted the interior ministry, Ban and Leap Somnang for comment.

What should lawyers and investigators watch?

For lawyers representing security companies, compound operators or implicated officials, the immediate practical issue is evidence. Amnesty’s interviews, site visits and social-media videos provide investigators with leads on corporate control, guard rosters, management structures, escape prevention and weapons use against victims. The ministry’s disciplinary, prosecution and detention figures show that official participation now carries direct domestic exposure. The reported migration toward South Asia also makes cross-border corporate and trafficking issues more pressing.