US targets Cambodian senator, freezes millions in scam crackdown

According to Associated Press, US officials have announced a sweeping crackdown on Southeast Asian cyberscam operations, led by a Scam Center Strike Force and described as a “new theatre of war” by US officials. The action includes sanctions by the Treasury Department against Kok An, a Cambodian senator described as a “scam center kingpin,” along with 28 associates, and it also involved criminal charges against two Chinese nationals, Huang Xing Shan and Jiang Wen Jie, over similar operations in Myanmar.

The package includes a warrant to seize and shut down a major online recruitment channel on Telegram and the freezing of hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit assets, Pirro said during a virtual press conference. The article notes that Cambodians and Myanmar-linked networks have profited massively from worldwide victims, with the FBI reporting Americans lost nearly $21 billion to cyber-enabled crimes in 2025.

It also mentions that Cambodian lawmakers approved new online-scam legislation in March with penalties up to life in prison and that Cambodia extradited Chen Zhi in January despite US custody actions.