FBI Director Patel meets Cambodian PM to combat online scams
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FBI Director Kash Patel met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Wednesday to discuss joint efforts against international online scam operations. A UN report estimated scams caused up to $114 billion in losses in the Asia-Pacific region in 2025. Patel also held talks with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on tackling scam centers and transnational crimes.
The Meeting
FBI Director Kash Patel met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Wednesday in Phnom Penh to discuss joint efforts against international online scam operations. The meeting focused on cracking down on industrial-sized scam centers that defraud victims of billions of dollars annually. Patel's visit follows a two-day summit in Thailand co-hosted by the U.S., attended by representatives from nearly 20 countries and hundreds of law enforcement officials.
Scope of the Problem
A UN Office on Drugs and Crime report released Tuesday estimated that scams caused up to $114 billion in losses in the Asia-Pacific region alone in 2025. The report warned that despite raids on large scam centers in Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, criminals are shifting to other regions or operating on a smaller scale. Cybercrime has flourished in Southeast Asia where law enforcement is weak, and scam centers are linked to human trafficking, with thousands of foreign nationals forced to work in near-slavery conditions.
U.S. Stance
The U.S. Embassy in Cambodia stated that Washington appreciates Hun Manet's pledge to counter scam operations, calling it a top priority. The embassy said Patel's visit reinforces the need for strong joint efforts, including holding high-level scam bosses accountable and improving information sharing about complicit officials. The U.S. fully supports justice for victims and criminal accountability for operators and those enabling them.
What's Next
Cambodia will host an international conference on combating cyber scams in September, Hun Manet announced. It remains unclear whether the conference will produce concrete commitments to dismantle scam networks and address official complicity.
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FBI Director Patel meets Cambodian PM to combat online scams
