US EditionUS launches sweeping crackdown on Southeast Asia cyberscams and sanctions Cambodian senator
The Treasury said the network used casinos and fortified compounds to defraud Americans and launder victims' funds, with 28 people and entities also targeted.
- On Thursday, the United States imposed sanctions on Cambodian Senator Kok An and 28 others, charging that their network has been "defrauding Americans" at scam compounds across the South-east Asian country.
- Kok and his affiliates operated "out of casinos and office parks retrofitted for fraudulent activity," using human trafficking victims to target Americans under threat of violence, the Treasury Department stated.
- Stablecoin issuer Tether froze over $344 million in assets allegedly linked to sanctions evasion, while the Treasury's Scam Center Strike Force seized 503 fraudulent web domains.
- Separately, the State Department offered rewards up to $10 million for information on "Tai Chang" scam centres in Myanmar, as the Justice Department charged two individuals managing similar operations.
- "This is an incredibly aggressive move from a diplomatic standpoint," said Brett Erickson, managing principal at Obsidian Risk Advisors, as the Trump administration views the operations as a national security threat.
35 Articles
35 Articles
U.S. launches sweeping crackdown on Southeast Asia cyberscams and sanctions Cambodian senator
U.S. officials have announced a sweeping crackdown on Southeast Asian cyberscam operations as part of what U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro characterized Friday as a “new theater of war” launched by the Trump administration against Chinese transnational organized crime.
Associated Press News
US launches sweeping crackdown on Southeast Asia cyberscams and sanctions Cambodian senator
U.S. officials have announced a major crackdown on Southeast Asian cyberscam operations controlled by Chinese transnational organized crime.
The Epoch Times
US Sanctions Cambodian Senator Linked to Crypto Romance Scam Centers
Kok An, 71, is a political ally of Hun Sen, who was Cambodian prime minister for 25 years before stepping down in 2023 and handing over to his son, Hun Manet.
Treasury Sanctions Cambodian Senator Kok An Over Pig-Butchering Crypto Scam Network
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Cambodian Senator Kok An and 28 associated individuals and entities Thursday, accusing him of using political influence and business holdings to operate and protect a network of scam compounds defrauding American citizens through cryptocurrency fraud. The action was taken by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under executive authority granted by a March 2026 executive order signed by Pr…
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