Phnom Penh, September 24 (AseanAll) — The International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS-2026) concluded in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 24 September 2026 with the adoption of the Phnom Penh Declaration, establishing 11 commitments to strengthen international cooperation against online scam networks and the transnational criminal activities associated with them. The commitments cover coordinated enforcement, disruption of illegal financial flows, asset recovery, victim protection, and measures to dismantle scam compounds and associated infrastructure.
Held on 23–24 September 2026 under the theme “Acting Together towards Breaking the Chain and Eradication of Online Scams,” the Conference was hosted by the Royal Government of Cambodia and co-sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Center (LMLECC). It brought together over 600 participants from 28 countries and 7 international organizations.
The Conference featured a High-Level Session on “Online Scams as a Global Emergency” and 3 panel discussions focusing on international cooperation, law enforcement, technology, financial disruption, public-private partnerships, and victim protection.
Opening the Conference, Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, declared that “scam compounds no longer exist in the Kingdom of Cambodia” and that the Kingdom “will never be a safe haven for online scams”. He also stressed that online scams neither began in Cambodia nor are they confined to the country and that using anti-online scams enforcement as a pretext for invasion or occupation of another country’s territory “constitutes a clear violation of the principles of international law.”
Hun Manet reaffirmed Cambodia’s commitment to pursuing perpetrators, disrupting online scam networks and seizing criminal assets, while stressing the importance of international cooperation in intelligence sharing, financial investigations, mutual legal assistance, capacity building, public-private partnerships, victim protection, and promotion of stronger public awareness.
The Conference took notes with satisfaction of Cambodia’s commitments and results on the ground in the fight against online scams. Over the past year, Cambodian authorities conducted site inspections and crackdown operations at 832 online scam locations. They referred 446 case files to court with 3,927 suspects in detention and deported 22,142 foreign nationals of 38 nationalities.
The Conference also noted that criminal networks continue to adapt by dispersing into smaller and decentralised cells and exploiting emerging and disruptive technologies, including artificial intelligence. The Royal Government of Cambodia has a strong conviction that disruption alone is not sufficient. To dismantle criminal networks requires continued efforts to deny them the space to operate.
Representatives from participating countries and international institutions also shared national experiences and best practices in relation to cyber-enabled fraud, financial investigations, mule accounts, cybercrime, victim-centered support services and protection, and stronger cross-border law enforcement cooperation, in accordance with applicable domestic laws and international legal instruments and based on the principles of mutual respect and understanding, and national sovereignty.
The Phnom Penh Declaration
The ICCOS-2026 was successfully concluded with the adoption of the Phnom Penh Declaration that calls for national, regional, and global responses to: (1) strengthen international cooperation, (2) break the criminal chain, (3) disrupt and recover criminal proceeds, (4) leverage technological innovation, (5) strengthen policy, legal and regulatory frameworks, (6) build capacity and resilience, (7) deepen public-private partnerships, (8) support the protection of trafficked victims and vulnerable persons, (9) implement the non-punishment principle for victims, (10) prevent fraud and human trafficking, and (11) dismantle online scam compounds and related infrastructure.
Cambodia reaffirmed its commitment to working with international partners to translate these commitments into sustained actions and effective measures for victim protection and prevent scam networks from re-emergence.
