Foreign SIM Cards Fueling Cross-Border Scams, Cambodian Minister Warns

A high-ranking Cambodian official has raised the alarm over online scam networks that exploit foreign SIM cards and telecom systems to prey on victims in their home countries, underscoring the urgent need for greater international collaboration to dismantle cross-border fraud.

Chea Vandeth, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, addressed the issue during the International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS-2026), held in Phnom Penh on September 23. He noted that Cambodia's own experience revealed how fraudsters frequently rely on phone numbers registered in the countries where their targets live, making scam calls and messages appear to originate locally.

"Criminals use phone numbers from the countries of the people they want to scam," Vandeth said.

According to the minister, offenders based in Cambodia can acquire SIM cards from abroad and then take advantage of international roaming services. Since the phone number seems local to the intended victim, the scammer comes across as more credible.

Investigators in Cambodia have found that vast numbers of foreign SIM cards are being smuggled into the country to support fraudulent schemes. Vandeth cited one operation in which authorities uncovered over 50,000 SIM cards from various countries inside a single small scam compound.

He urged all countries to tighten SIM-card registration and require identity checks before any cards are handed out.

"No telco anywhere in the world should be allowed to sell anonymous SIM cards," he stated.

Cambodia's Countermeasures

Vandeth outlined a number of steps Cambodia has adopted to stop its telecommunications systems from falling into the hands of criminal groups.

He said that since 2022, the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TRC) has cracked down on more than 330 illegal base stations, including equipment used to run unauthorized telecom services that enable online scams.

The country has also stepped up its campaign to dismantle the digital tools scammers depend on. A specialized monitoring unit has blocked over 53,000 illegal websites, and partnerships with leading digital platforms such as Meta, Telegram and Binance have led to the takedown of more than 5,300 accounts, pages and groups tied to scam recruitment, bogus job listings and online fraud.

Still, Vandeth emphasized that domestic measures alone will not be enough, given that these criminal operations span multiple countries.

"Cambodia cannot solve this problem on our own," he said, urging governments, regulators, police forces, financial institutions, telecom firms and digital platforms to exchange intelligence, bolster identity verification and close the regulatory loopholes that criminals exploit.

"Only coordinated international action can close this gap," Vandeth added.