THE United States has imposed sanctions on 45 individuals and companies linked to alleged international cyberscam operations in Cambodia and Madagascar, including a Malaysian accused of leading a fraud network targeting American victims.
The US Treasury Department announced on Nov 5 that it had sanctioned four individuals and 41 companies associated with Cambodia-based Prince Group, which Washington accused of operating a billion-dollar scam network.
AFP reported on Friday that the sanctions also targeted Malaysian national Chui Kok Wa, who allegedly led a scam network in Madagascar that used cyber-enabled technologies, including cryptocurrencies, to defraud numerous Americans of more than US$400,000.
The move comes as Cambodia faces mounting international pressure, including from the US, Britain and China, to dismantle criminal syndicates operating online fraud centres across the country.
Among those sanctioned was Qiu Yong, a senior Prince Group official accused of operating several companies in the British Virgin Islands that controlled a network of Hong Kong-based firms involved in money lending and other business ventures.
The Treasury said Qiu, who holds Cambodian, St Lucian and Turkish passports, helped Prince Group launder funds through various money-lending services and commercial ventures, including wine companies.
Prince Group founder Chen Zhi, who was born in China, was extradited from Cambodia to China in January after the conglomerate was sanctioned by the US and Britain over alleged scam operations.
Cambodian authorities have said at least six senior figures linked to Prince Group have been arrested, while casinos, buildings and other properties worth nearly US$1 billion have been frozen.
Prince Group has previously denied involvement in cyberscam activities.
Cambodia has emerged as a major centre for international cybercrime syndicates operating romance scams and fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes, with victims targeted worldwide. Some people involved in the operations are reportedly trafficked, while others participate willingly.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told an anti-fraud summit in September that his country would not become a safe haven for cyberscam operations.
However, analysts have warned that alleged protection networks involving influential figures, alongside the financial and physical infrastructure supporting the industry, remain in place.
“Cyberscam syndicates continue to steal billions of dollars from American victims,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement on Nov 5.
He said the department was committed to dismantling all layers of the organisations, including their leadership, corporate structures and financial facilitators. - November 6, 2026
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