Freepik

Group including Japanese detained in Phnom Penh over suspected online fraud

Cambodian authorities have reportedly detained a group of 20 or more people, including apparently Japanese nationals, in Phnom Penh. The group may have been involved in online scams.

Sources close to the matter said local investigators raided a flat on Monday night after receiving information that some Japanese were likely involved in online fraud.

The people found in the flat were detained. The investigators are pursuing others who are likely on the run. The authorities also seized PCs, smartphones and a document that appears to be an instruction book from the flat.

Cambodian authorities will reportedly investigate the matter jointly with Japanese police.

Police have recently been cracking down on Japanese fraud groups operating in Southeast Asia.

In April, a group of 19 Japanese nationals, which was based in a southern Cambodian resort area and suspected of involvement in fraud, was identified and transferred to Japan. Seven Japanese were also detained in May in northern Cambodia near the Thai border.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230913_10/