Scam Solutions: Taking Down a Scam Kingpin
Jake Sims provides a perspective on the recent arrest and extradition of Chen Zhi, leader of The Prince Group.
Episode 35: On January 7, Cambodia announced that it had extradited Chen Zhi to China, just short of three months following his indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice and sanctions against his company, The Prince Group, by the United States and Britain.
Researcher and investigator Jake Sims joins Erin West to break down the unprecedented arrest and deportation of Chen Zhi, one of the most powerful scam kingpins operating out of Cambodia.
This is someone that the U.S. government has described as perhaps the wealthiest, most globally expansive organized criminal of the modern era. Putting that person’s hands in cuffs did not seem possible. — Jake Sims
They unpack how years of investigative journalism, evidence gathering, sanctions, and sustained pressure led to real accountability. And they discuss why this case matters in the global fight against pig butchering scams, human trafficking, and transnational organized crime.
What the arrest didn’t solve
The intelligence gaps it leaves behind
What governments, media, and the private sector must do next to dismantle scam states for good.
Public scrutiny of The Prince Group and involvement in the scam industry started several years before the 2025 legal action. Much of it emerged from reporting by Jack Davies for Radio Free Asia. His three-part series, “Cambodia's Prince Group: A business empire built on crime?” clearly outlined how Chen Zhi had built a massive criminal organization that relied on business and government corruption in Cambodia.
Looking at Cambodia over the last decade, it’s sort of undeniable that Prince Holding Group — and Chen Zhi in particular — are sort of exemplars of the stratospheric lack of accountability. — Jake Sims
Chen Zhi wasn’t hiding. He was everywhere. He was named to a cabinet-level post in the Cambodian government. The Prince Group brand appeared on buildings throughout Phnom Penh. And Chen Zhi was a business partner with the deputy prime minister.
Other local journalists built on the story, outlining the criminal industry and its activities. The data from their reporting and evidence from civil agencies helped reinforce the conversation and push the issue with law enforcement.
Who Is Jacob Sims?
Jacob Sims is a leading expert on transnational crime and human rights in Southeast Asia. He is a fellow at the Harvard University Asia Center, a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations, a senior advisor for Inca Digital, and a formal advisor to government agencies, think tanks, and NGOs. In his leadership roles at the International Justice Mission, he helped spearhead the world’s initial response to the now-global crisis arising from Southeast Asia’s scam economy.
Episode Chapters
01:00 2026 Focus on Action
04:02 The Deportation of Chen Zhi
06:34 Accountability, Justice, and Global Awareness
13:35 The Role of Media in Advocacy
15:11 Challenges in Evidence Collection
21:30 Funding the Evidence Ecosystem
21:57 Legal Threats and Personal Risks
26:29 Concerns About the Future of Justice
26:42 The Cambodian Government's Response to Criminality
31:22 China's Role in the Cambodian Criminal Landscape
37:59 Goals for 2026: Accountability and Evidence Gathering
45:20 Reflections on Unexpected Outcomes and Future Aspirations
Organizations Fighting Scams and Supporting Trafficking Victims
Cyber Scam Monitor profiles and documents the location of reported online crime operations, abuses perpetrated there, and the actors and companies known to be linked to them. The site content initially focuses on Cambodia
Mekong Independent publishes stories from reporters in Southeast Asia who struggle with political repression and the shrinking independent media sector. It works to inform the public on systemic issues, investigate injustice and corruption, and explore solutions to the region’s most pressing problems
Global Advance Projects serves as the first point of contact for individuals trafficked for forced criminality, particularly those returning from Myanmar to Thailand.
Caritas Cambodia is implementing a project focused on supporting and protecting survivors of human trafficking, including forced internet scamming in Cambodia.
Global Alms is dedicated to the elimination of trafficking, sexual exploitation, and the physical abuse of men, women and children.
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Sponsors of Stolen
BioCatch prevents financial crime by recognizing patterns in human behavior, continuously collecting 3,000 anonymized data points – keystroke and mouse activity, touch screen behavior, physical device attributes, and more – as people interact with their digital banking platforms. With these inputs, BioCatch's models reveal patterns that distinguish the criminal from the legitimate.
Scamnetic is a leader in AI-powered scam detection and prevention, protecting individuals, businesses, and financial institutions from digital scams. With solutions like KnowScam and IDeveryone, Scamnetic delivers real-time scam insights, identity verification, and intervention. Restoring trust, reducing losses, and empowering organizations to safeguard customers in an increasingly complex digital world.
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