Cambodia arrests 65 in AI video scam ring posing as Japanese police
Cambodia arrested 65 suspects in a Phnom Penh raid on an alleged AI-powered scam centre that targeted European victims with live video calls.
Police in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, raided a suspected online scam centre they said targeted victims in Europe, arresting 65 suspects, including eight alleged Chinese ringleaders. Officers displayed seized props, such as fake police uniforms and IDs, and described how the group allegedly used AI-generated faces and scripted live video calls to impersonate Japanese law enforcement and trick victims into sending money. The raid is the latest in a crackdown that began in July 2025, after Cambodian authorities came under pressure from other countries like the US and China. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimates the cyberscam industry has defrauded people around the world out of US$64 billion annually.