Security Contracts: Uniformed Officers Guarded Cambodian Scam Sites

Thousands of people forced into online fraud were guarded by uniformed state officers inside private scam compounds in Cambodia, according to a report released on Wednesday by Amnesty International. The rights group says these security guards were integral to a system of slavery and sexual violence, using electric batons to keep victims confined within the sites.

Agnès Callamard, the organization’s secretary general, stated that survivors had described seeing military and police members inside the compounds for years. She noted, "These accounts could not be independently verified, until now." The investigation relied on 151 survivor interviews, physical visits to 82 compounds, and social media footage from dozens of guard accounts. This evidence allowed Amnesty to link illicit operations to five private security companies and identify more than 20 active military and police members working openly as guards.

The report, titled Official Business: Security companies and authorities at scamming compounds in Cambodia, identifies Leap Somnang as the firm with the largest footprint. The company was connected to at least 15 compounds across eight provinces, with twelve survivors identifying its specific guards, uniforms, or logo. Amnesty alleges that Ban Sophat, a colonel in the armed forces, controlled the company while serving as its public chair. The group provided photos showing him with company guards at two different compounds.

In a letter quoted in the report, Ban Sophat denied holding any ownership or management role at Leap Somnang. He described himself as an adviser to the company owner and argued that appearing in a photograph did not indicate knowledge of or participation in the site's activities. Leap Somnang did not respond to requests for comment.

Survivors described guards controlling exits, hunting down escapees, and enforcing compliance through fear. Specific accounts included electric shocks, beatings, and confinement in dark rooms while managers raped women. Callamard said, "Without them, this system of mass exploitation could not have functioned." The United Nations estimates annual losses from such trafficking at roughly $100 billion, noting that many victims were lured by promises of office jobs before being forced to run romance fraud schemes known as pig butchering.

Cambodia launched its largest crackdown on these operations in July 2025, with authorities claiming the closure of hundreds of centers. While Amnesty describes the industry as currently dormant, Callamard warned that the infrastructure of impunity remains intact. The country's interior ministry told Amnesty it had disciplined 77 police officers and prosecuted six private guards for illegal stun baton use. Officials also detained 17 military and civil servants for colluding with criminals and sent 3,477 suspects to court under a policy of no tolerance.

The ministry cited a stance of no exemption and no retreat in its response. Amnesty has contacted the ministry, Ban Sophat, and Leap Somnang for further comment regarding the findings.