Thai Military Uncovers International Scam Compound in Cambodia, Hundreds of Australians Affected
Thai military forces recently uncovered an international scam compound in O'Smach, Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia, which featured rooms designed to resemble offices of various international police forces. Following its seizure, documents containing personal details, including phone numbers, names, and addresses, belonging to hundreds of Australians were discovered. Australian authorities have since issued alerts to affected individuals, while international law enforcement agencies continue collaborative efforts to address the issue of transnational fraud and cybercrime emanating from such facilities.
Discovery and Features of the Compound
During border clashes in late 2023, the Thai military discovered a facility in O'Smach, Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia. This compound housed mock-up offices designed to resemble those of multiple international police forces, including the Australian Federal Police (AFP), as well as forces from China, Singapore, Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. A specific mock Chinese police station was among the setups.
The facility had previously served as a military base for Cambodian forces. Following a ceasefire in December, Thai troops are currently occupying the facility on Cambodian soil.
Operations and Scope
Upon seizing the compound, Thai military personnel reported finding evidence of transnational fraud. The facility reportedly housed thousands of individuals, many of whom were identified as victims of human trafficking compelled into scamming activities. Documents recovered from the site appeared to list potential targets and their contact details.
Lieutenant General Teeranan Nandhakwang, director of the Thai army's intelligence unit, characterized the scam operations as exhibiting strong organization, infrastructure, systems, workflows, and diverse tactics.
Australian Impact and Response
Hundreds of Australians received alerts, including text messages sent to 300 individuals by Australia's National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC), after their personal details were found in documents at a Cambodian scam center seized by Thai armed forces. The Royal Thai Police informed NASC about the discovery of phone numbers, names, and addresses belonging to these individuals. An AFP spokesperson stated that recipients were provided with advice on how to protect themselves from scammers and reporting options. Inquiries into the facility's scale and impact are ongoing, though the specific location where the documents containing Australian details were found is not yet confirmed to be the O'Smach facility.
The AFP had previously issued public warnings in November regarding scammers impersonating their officers to solicit cryptocurrency, often using fabricated ReportCyber reports. An AFP spokesperson confirmed that AFP officers in Cambodia are collaborating with local authorities, including the Cambodian National Police, to address scam centers targeting Australians.
The AFP advises individuals to immediately cease communication, refrain from transferring funds or providing financial information, notify their bank if funds were transferred, and report incidents to the police.
The AFP emphasizes that its officers will not contact individuals via video call, request money, demand immediate action over the phone, or ask to verify personal or banking details.
Scammer Tactics and Victim Targeting
Researchers explain that scammers utilize these staged offices as "studios" for video calls to enhance their credibility with targets. Ivan Franceschini, a University of Melbourne academic, noted that these sets are designed to conform to a target's perception of a police station. Scammers impersonate police officers to target individuals across multiple countries, including Australia, China, India, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brazil.
Hai Luong, a criminology researcher at Griffith University, described these centers as "weaponizing" trust in police officials, transforming state authority into a tool for organized crime.
Criminal groups operating large-scale scam facilities reportedly acquire bulk personal details from other criminals or hackers to identify potential targets. Australians are frequently targeted due to perceived high income levels, high digital engagement, and access to financial services. Once an individual's details are present in a scam dataset, they may be subject to repeated targeting by different scam groups. According to the NASC's Scamwatch website, Australians reported approximately $335 million in losses to scams in 2025, with $172 million attributed to investment scams. Dr. Luong highlighted that scam groups gather personal information through data breaches, phishing schemes, and purchases from illegal sources.
International Cooperation and Prevention Efforts
Operation Firestorm, managed through the AFP’s Bangkok liaison post, is collaborating with Thai authorities regarding evidence and information related to the scam center. NASC previously sent 5,000 text messages to potential scam victims identified in WhatsApp chats on devices seized during a search warrant executed on a Manila scam compound in 2024. Additionally, over 1,700 scam victims were notified based on software found during a raid in Thailand in June 2023.
Dr. Luong emphasized the importance of recognizing social engineering tactics and called for improved international cooperation and data sharing among governments to disrupt transnational criminal networks.
AFP officers continue to collaborate with Cambodian authorities, and the AFP-led Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre (JPC3) works to identify, disrupt, and notify victims of offshore organized cybercriminal syndicates.