Cyberscam crackdown: Cambodia arrests over 200 Vietnam citizens

Cambodian authorities have arrested more than 200 Vietnamese nationals in internet scam centre raids, police said yesterday, as Prime Minister Hun Manet ordered a crackdown on cybercrime sweatshops.

The United Nations has described Southeast Asia as the "ground zero" of scam centres, where workers typically use romance or business cons to defraud social media users of an estimated $40 billion annually.

Hun Manet issued a directive made public on Tuesday, telling law enforcement and the military "to prevent and crack down on online scams", warning they risk losing their jobs if they fail to take action.