Local triads are recruiting Malaysians for Scam centres in Cambodia

Murray Hunter


Local triads are recruiting Malaysians for Scam centres in Cambodia


Dec 21, 2025




A Malaysian who escaped from a scamming farm in Cambodia held a press conference with the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) telling his story how he was recruited by a friend who worked for a job scam syndicate in Cambodia. The victim’s wife paid an RM 6,000 ransom to free the husband who returned to Malaysia at the beginning of this month. The victim Muhammad Syafiq Abdullah, who was 40 said there are up to 700 more Malaysians trapped in the Phnom Penh scam centre and subject to beatings and torture. Many of the women were repeatedly raped. Muhammad said he was forced to eat pork and call his wife requesting a ransom.

Victims are being lured to Cambodia through agents who promise high paying jobs. Once they are outside Malaysia, they are taken to Cambodia and passed onto scamming centres. Muhammed claimed the Thai police were involved and once at a casino near Phnom Penh was guarded by Cambodian military. They were forced to work in the scam farms by making phone calls using various scamming strategies. In Muhammad’s case he acted as a cybersecurity firm employee promising people high paid jobs in Cambodia.

One of the concerns is there are many missing Malaysians but authorities have not alerted the public to these dangers. The Malaysian media is not carrying these stories, like there is a ‘blackout’ on the subject.

While the Malaysian media has been quiet, the regional media in Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong has highlighted the problem. In addition, a number of human rights groups have issued press releases about Malaysians entrapped into scamming farms during 2025.


On 9 September 2025, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) conducted a joint enforcement operation with the Cambodian National Police (CNP) against an Organised Criminal Group (“OCG”) involved in Government Official Impersonation Scams targeting Singapore victims. The OCG was believed to be operating from a scam compound in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Seven Malaysians were rescued.

Back in October, 261 Malaysian were rescued from a scam centre and repatriated from Cambodia.

The question is how many more Malaysians are trapped in Cambodia? Is the Malaysian police aware of the triads who are operating in Malaysia and recruiting people to torture rape and forced work under imprisonment and slavery?

There is no doubt that Malaysians are heavily involved in Cambodian scam centres and only too willing to sell their own as slaves to these centres.