The UK government has struck a new agreement with Cambodia that brings the fight against industrial-scale online fraud directly to one of the world’s most prolific scam regions, signalling a tougher cross-border approach to protecting British consumers.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on 23 September, marks the first time the two countries will collaborate formally to take on networks of illegal scam centres.
Under its terms, British and Cambodian authorities will expand the exchange of data, align their operations against criminal gangs, pursue prosecutions of those responsible and make sure trafficking victims get appropriate support.
Scam centres operate as organised hubs where fraud is written into scripts and expanded to reach thousands of targets simultaneously. Their methods are highly developed and include cultivating fake romances to persuade people to part with money.
Southeast Asia has become one of the largest global bases for these operations. Many of the individuals carrying out the fraud are foreign nationals who have been trafficked, held captive and coerced into the work under threat of torture.
As part of the deal, the UK will strengthen Cambodian policing capability by providing training in cyber investigations, digital forensics and investigative procedures. Both governments will also cooperate through the Global Fraud Taskforce, a joint initiative between the UK and INTERPOL.
This collaboration will focus on identifying suspects, backing operations to shut down scam centres, and tracking and disrupting the illicit money flows that sustain them.
Lord Hanson attended the International Conference on Combating Online Scams in Cambodia on behalf of the UK. During the trip, he toured the Golden Fortune scam compound, which Cambodian authorities had already dismantled.
The MoU follows joint UK and US sanctions imposed in October on a network running illegal scam centres across Southeast Asia, a move that led to UK properties worth millions of pounds being frozen. It also extends the government’s Fraud Strategy, which created a new Online Crime Centre bringing together government, police, intelligence agencies, banks and technology companies to intensify disruption of fraudsters.
Supported by £250m in funding, the strategy aims to make the UK the most difficult place for fraudsters to operate, with one in fourteen adults and one in four businesses having fallen victim.
UK minister for fraud Lord Hanson said, “Fraudsters don’t respect international borders. Over two-thirds of fraud affecting the UK originates overseas so agreements like this are vital to reducing the threat to the public here at home.
“I’m pleased to have reached this agreement with Cambodia which will strengthen our work to dismantle scam centres and stop these criminals profiting from misery. We will pursue fraudsters wherever they operate from.”
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