Real News From Cambodia: March 2026
Operation Shamrock Newsletter
Friends,
If you’re watching the media, it looks like the Cambodian scam industry is being shut down. Last month, I returned to Cambodia to investigate the true status of the country's massive scam industry in person.
I met with trafficking survivors and explored an abandoned compound in Phnom Penh. It was an eerie feeling to be in those buildings. What I found confirmed accounts of the massive scale, locked rooms, and deplorable conditions.
In Sihanoukville, the industry’s epicenter, scam compounds appeared inactive. But it’s not clear, are operations shut down or merely paused? Traveling further into rural Cambodia, we discovered new sprawling, prison-like scam compounds under construction and in use.
Erin West
Founder, Operation Shamrock
March Victim Support Forum
March 25, 9 a.m. PT — Our next meeting for survivors, victims, and supporters will focus on “Recovery and Rebuilding after Online Scams,” with guest speaker Ally Armeson, executive director of FightCybercrime.org. >> Register Now
Stolen Podcast
In case you missed them, check out our February episodes.
Scam Solutions: Fighting Fraud from within the Banking Industry — Financial crimes expert Steve Lenderman shares expertise about fraud and how to more effectively use data to identify and prevent scams.
Cambodia’s Scam Crackdown: Unveiling the Illusion — Erin West returns to Cambodia to investigate whether the world’s largest scam operations are shutting down, or simply regrouping.
Scam Solutions: Fighting Scams with Smarter Tech — Scamnetic’s Al Pasqual on using technology to confirm identity, spot scam activity, and protect consumers from criminals that want to steal.
Scam Solutions: Disrupting the Economics of Scamming — Banking expert Donna Turner shares her perspective on the role that banking and financial services play in the fight against the scam industry.
THANK YOU TO OUR STOLEN PODCAST SPONSORS
We are grateful to Scamnetic and BioCatch for their support of Stolen and the work they do to detect and prevent scams every day.
5 Stories Worth Your Time
The Scams After the Scams: Recovery Schemes Manipulating you once to get your money isn’t enough for the scam industry. Erin joins AARP’s Perfect Scam podcast to explain.
7 Rising Trends in Global Scams Protect yourself by staying up to date with the strategies that scammers use to steal.
How Scammers Use Voice Cloning Your voice is the perfect impersonation weapon, and you’re near a microphone nearly 24x7.
What Happens When You Report a Scam to Operation Shamrock? Reporting your case through our portal ensures it reaches a qualified investigator as quickly as possible.
From Trafficking Victim to Cybercrime Whistleblower Hear a trafficking survivor’s firsthand story of life in a scam compound.
How to Support Operation Shamrock
Transnational organized crime syndicates steal hundreds of billions of dollars, household by household, every year.
Donations allow us to continue our work and build capacity to expand education, foster private-public connections, and take action in the fight against scams. If you’re unable to donate, sharing our message is a great way to support our efforts.
Operation Shamrock is registered in the U.S. as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.