Cambodia Cracks Down on Online Scams

0:00On March 30, Cambodia and lawmakers just unanimously passed a tough new law cracking down on online scam operations, with penalties up to life in. Prison. All 112 members present voted yes, creating the country's first rules aimed straight at this massive cybercrime industry that's made. Cambodia. A hotspot for global fraud. These scams usually push fake investment deals or phony romances ripping off tens of billions of dollars from victims worldwide each year. Officials say thousands of workers, mostly from other Asian countries, get tricked by bogus job offers and end up trapped in scam centers under, brutal, near-slave conditions. The Justice Minister stressed how these operations wreck public safety and trash, Cambodia's international image. The penalties hit hard. 5 to 10 years plus fines up to $250,000 for running a scam site 10 to 20 years for trafficking or violence and 15 to 30 years or life if a worker dies during an escape attempt.

1:04Authorities have rated 250 spots since July, shutting down 200 of them, filing 79 cases against nearly 700. This in helpers and sending home almost 10,000 workers from 23 countries. Still, experts like those at Harvard warn past efforts flopped because money trails and protection rackets stayed untouched, letting scams bounce. Right back. Now the law heads to the Senate and a king for final. Okay, as Cambodia pushes to wipe out these centers by month's end and reclaim its rep on the world stage. You've been listening to Global News today, AI-powered Global Coverage.