Jakarta — A transnational fraud network operating from Cambodia has constructed elaborate fake police stations to intimidate victims across Southeast Asia, according to reports circulating among regional law enforcement and social media accounts documenting scam operations.
The scheme, which has targeted citizens in Thailand, Indonesia, and other ASEAN nations, represents an evolution in cross-border organized crime — one that exploits porous borders, inconsistent law enforcement cooperation, and the region's limited extradition frameworks.
The Modus Operandi
Victims receive phone calls from individuals posing as police officers, accusing them of involvement in money laundering or fraud schemes. The scammers direct targets to video calls where they appear in uniforms, seated in rooms designed to resemble official police stations complete with national emblems and official-looking paperwork.
One Indonesian Reddit user described how a family member was accused of complicity in a money-laundering ring supposedly using the victim's bank account. The caller demanded the victim disable all communication devices, face a camera for "verification," and provide access to all bank accounts.
Thai social media accounts have reported similar incidents, with scammers using identical scripts: allegations of gambling-related fraud, demands for device isolation, and pressure to verify financial information under threat of arrest.
The Cambodia Connection
Reports suggest these operations are based in Cambodia, where scam compounds have proliferated in recent years, often staffed by trafficked workers from across Asia and protected by corrupt local officials. These facilities allegedly contain multiple "stage sets" designed to impersonate police offices from different countries.
The infrastructure required — video equipment, translation services, access to victim databases — points to well-funded operations with significant organizational capacity.
ASEAN's Enforcement Gap
The scam network highlights a persistent weakness in ASEAN cooperation: the bloc's consensus-based decision-making and non-interference principles create enforcement vacuums that criminal networks exploit.
Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos have become hubs for online scam operations worth an estimated $64 billion annually across Southeast Asia, according to a 2025 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report. Victim countries lack mechanisms to compel cross-border investigations or extradite suspects.
The Indonesian government has faced criticism for facilitating the repatriation of Indonesian nationals who worked in Cambodian scam compounds — effectively allowing fraud operatives to return home without prosecution.
The Regional Toll
Financial losses from these schemes are difficult to quantify, as many victims don't report incidents due to shame or fear of legal exposure. But the psychological toll — and the erosion of trust in legitimate law enforcement — compounds the damage.
Ten countries, 700 million people, one region — and a failure of collective action that allows fraud networks to thrive in the gaps between national jurisdictions.
