US sanctions Cambodian senator, network tied to crypto scams and trafficking

The United States moved against Cambodian senator Kok An and 28 people and entities tied to him, saying the network was built around crypto fraud, human trafficking and political protection. Treasury said the sanctions targeted a system that used scam centers in Cambodia to steal millions from Americans and other victims, while relying on coercion and forced labor to keep the operation running.

Treasury said the network’s fraud model followed the now-familiar “pig butchering” playbook: operators reached out with unsolicited messages, built fake friendships or romantic relationships, then pushed victims into deceptive digital-asset investment schemes and drained their savings. The State Department said Americans lost at least $10 billion to scam operations in Southeast Asia in 2024, underscoring how large the regional fraud economy has become.

The sanctions landed under Executive Order 13694, as amended, and were coordinated with the Justice Department’s Scam Center Strike Force, the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service. Treasury said the strike force also announced charges against two people running a scam compound in Burma, the seizure of a social media messaging app used to recruit trafficking victims to a compound in Cambodia, and the seizure of 503 fraudulent web domains tied to cryptocurrency investment fraud.

Treasury described scam centers as often operating out of casinos and office parks that had been retrofitted for fraudulent activity. A related report said Kok An’s business interests include Crown Resorts and Anco Brothers Co Ltd., and that properties in Poipet, Sihanoukville and Bavet were allegedly converted into scam compounds. Treasury also said Anco Brothers provided services and security and held casino licenses at some properties, tying commercial infrastructure directly to the fraud network.

The action also carried political weight. Treasury said Kok An was a wealthy figure and an ally of Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, and that he used political connections to shield scam operations. By freezing U.S. assets linked to Kok An and his associates and barring U.S. persons from dealing with them, Washington signaled it was prepared to use financial sanctions against politically connected figures it believes are protecting organized fraud. Officials said the broader Southeast Asian cybercrime industry is worth nearly $20 billion a year, a figure that captures how online scams have become a transnational industry with human-rights and national-security consequences.