AKP Phnom Penh, September 25, 2026 --

Senior representatives of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Cambodian law enforcement authorities in combating online scams and other transnational crimes.

The commitment was made during separate working meetings between H.E. Keo Vannthan, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Interior, and senior representatives of the FBI and AFP on the sidelines of Cambodia’s International Conference on Combating Online Scams, which concluded on Sept. 24.

During the meeting, Commander Graeme Marshall, Cyber Crime Operations Commander of the AFP, welcomed a potential delegation from Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior to study Australia’s Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre (JPC3), which has a role similar to Cambodia’s planned center for combating online scams, announced by the Minister of Interior during the high-level forum of the international conference.

H.E. Keo Vannthan said that, despite being separate meetings, both the FBI and AFP representatives agreed to further strengthen cooperation with Cambodia through the timely exchange of information on priority crimes, particularly online scams and cybercrime.

The two sides also agreed to continue providing capacity-building training for Cambodian National Police officers, including training core trainers in Cambodia and opportunities for Cambodian officers to receive direct training in Australia or the United States.

Both partners congratulated Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior on the renewal of the relevant Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and on the results of joint operations to investigate and crack down on cryptocurrency scams and online extortion.

During the meeting with the FBI, the two sides highlighted the results of exchanging IP address information, which contributed to operations against more than 50 scam locations. They also discussed measures to prevent the theft and misuse of Cambodian national identity cards for opening bank accounts or purchasing SIM cards.

The FBI also committed to continuing to provide opportunities for Cambodian National Police officers to receive training at the FBI Academy to further strengthen their law enforcement capabilities.

H.E. Keo Vannthan was quoted as saying that the two sides had agreed to promote the timely exchange of confidential information on priority offences, including online scams, cybercrime, drug trafficking and money laundering. They also agreed to provide capacity-building training to Cambodian police to respond to criminal syndicates that fragment into smaller groups and operate within communities following Cambodia’s efforts to eradicate large-scale scam compounds.

According to a report from the Ministry of Interior, between July 1, 2025 and Aug. 28, 2026, Cambodian authorities cracked down on 832 scam locations, including 86 large-scale locations, and sent 408 cases to court, involving 3,477 suspects who were detained.

During the same period, authorities conducted administrative security inspections at more than 38,169 locations, deported 22,142 foreigners from 38 nationalities, and froze assets linked to offenses worth more than US$300 million.

By C. Nika