UK and Cambodia sign deal to dismantle online scam centres

What was announced

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 23 September 2026 between the UK and Cambodian governments, enabling joint working for the first time to tackle networks of illegal scam centres. The Home Office announced the agreement on 24 September 2026. Under the agreement the UK and Cambodian authorities will increase data sharing, coordinate activity against the criminal gangs, bring perpetrators to justice and ensure victims of trafficking receive support. The UK will help build the capacity of Cambodian law enforcement through training in cyber investigations, digital forensics and investigative procedures. The two governments will work together through the Global Fraud Taskforce, jointly developed by the UK and INTERPOL, to identify suspects, support operations to dismantle scam centres, and trace and disrupt the illicit financial flows that fund them.

Lord Hanson, Minister for Fraud, represented the UK at the International Conference on Combating Online Scams in Cambodia and visited the Golden Fortune scam compound, which had been dismantled following Cambodian action. Lord Hanson said that fraudsters do not respect international borders and that over two-thirds of fraud affecting the UK originates overseas, which is why agreements of this kind are vital to reducing the threat to the public at home. The agreement follows joint UK and US sanctions against a network operating illegal scam centres across Southeast Asia, which resulted in millions of pounds in UK-based properties being frozen. The MoU builds on the government's Fraud Strategy, which established an Online Crime Centre uniting government, police, intelligence agencies, banks and tech firms to disrupt fraudsters.

What a scam centre is

The Home Office describes scam centres as places where fraud is scripted and scaled to target thousands of victims at once, deploying sophisticated tactics to lure victims into handing over cash, including through fake romantic relationships. Many are based in Southeast Asia. The scale is the defining feature. Rather than one fraudster working a single target, a scam centre runs scripted operations against large numbers of people simultaneously, using the same playbooks across multiple victims. The fake romantic relationship is one such script. It is designed to build trust over time before a request for money is made. Because the operation is run from a single site, the people behind it can share information, refine their approach and target victims in multiple countries at once, including the UK.

The Home Office states that those conducting the scams are often trafficked foreign nationals, trapped and forced to carry out the fraud under threat of torture. This is a factual part of how the Home Office describes the operations. It means the people typing the messages are not necessarily the people profiting from them. The criminal gangs behind the networks are the target of the agreement. The trafficking element is one reason the agreement includes a commitment to ensure victims of trafficking receive support, alongside the work to bring perpetrators to justice. Southeast Asia became a hub for these operations because of a combination of factors, including the ability to run large-scale operations across borders and the difficulty of pursuing criminal networks across jurisdictions.

Why it matters in the UK

Over two-thirds of fraud affecting the UK originates overseas, according to Lord Hanson. That figure is the reason domestic enforcement alone has limited reach. If the majority of fraud affecting people in the UK is run from outside the country, then action taken only within the UK cannot address the source of the problem. The Fraud Strategy states that one in fourteen adults and one in four businesses have become victims of fraud. If you have been targeted, you are part of a very large group. The agreement is intended to address that gap by enabling joint working with Cambodian authorities, where many scam centres are based, and by using the Global Fraud Taskforce to identify suspects and disrupt the financial flows that fund the operations.

The practical relevance to someone in the UK is that the source of much of the fraud they encounter is outside the reach of UK police acting alone. The agreement creates a formal channel for data sharing and coordinated action that did not exist before. It also commits the UK to help build the capacity of Cambodian law enforcement through training in cyber investigations, digital forensics and investigative procedures. That capacity building is intended to make it possible for Cambodian authorities to act against the networks operating from their territory. The agreement follows earlier joint UK and US sanctions that froze millions of pounds in UK-based properties linked to a network operating illegal scam centres across Southeast Asia.

What sits behind this

The MoU builds on the government's Fraud Strategy, which established an Online Crime Centre uniting government, police, intelligence agencies, banks and tech firms to disrupt fraudsters. The Fraud Strategy is backed by 250 million pounds. The Online Crime Centre brings together the organisations that hold different pieces of the picture: banks see the payments, tech firms see the accounts and messages, police and intelligence agencies see the criminal networks, and government coordinates the response. The Global Fraud Taskforce, jointly developed by the UK and INTERPOL, is the mechanism through which the two governments will work together to identify suspects, support operations to dismantle scam centres, and trace and disrupt the illicit financial flows that fund them.

The earlier joint UK and US sanctions against a network operating illegal scam centres across Southeast Asia resulted in millions of pounds in UK-based properties being frozen. That action targeted the financial side of the operations, using sanctions to freeze assets linked to the network. The current agreement adds a formal working relationship with Cambodia, where many scam centres are based, and a commitment to capacity building for Cambodian law enforcement. Together these measures form the backdrop to the announcement on 24 September 2026. They are the mechanisms through which the government intends to reduce the threat from overseas fraud, rather than relying on domestic enforcement alone.

What this does not change today

An agreement between governments does not recover money already lost. If you have been defrauded, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding does not return the funds that were taken. It also does not change what happens when someone is defrauded this week. The agreement sets out a framework for joint working, data sharing, coordinated action, capacity building and victim support. It does not alter the process you follow if you are targeted today, and it does not guarantee that any particular network will be dismantled on any particular timescale. The Home Office describes the agreement as enabling joint working for the first time, which indicates that this is a new channel rather than a completed operation.

The measures behind the agreement, including the Fraud Strategy, the Online Crime Centre, the Global Fraud Taskforce and the earlier sanctions, are aimed at disrupting the networks and the financial flows that fund them. Disruption is not the same as recovery. The agreement does not change the reimbursement rules that apply to authorised push payment fraud, and it does not change the need to report to Action Fraud or to contact your bank immediately. It is a step in addressing the source of overseas fraud, and it sits alongside the protections that already exist. It does not replace them, and it does not mean the problem is solved.

What to do if you have been targeted

Report to Action Fraud. Contact your bank immediately, since reimbursement rules apply to authorised push payment fraud. Check the FCA warning list before dealing with any firm. A request to move money to a safe account is always a scam. These steps apply whether or not an agreement between governments is in place. If you have been targeted, the immediate actions are the ones that affect whether you can recover funds or limit the damage. Reporting to Action Fraud also contributes to the data that informs enforcement activity. Contacting your bank immediately matters because the reimbursement rules for authorised push payment fraud depend on the circumstances and on prompt reporting.

Checking the FCA warning list before dealing with any firm is a way to verify whether a firm is authorised. If a firm is not on the list, that is a warning sign. The instruction to move money to a safe account is a known scam tactic, and a request to do so is always a scam. For more on how these scams operate and what to watch for, see the KT scam coverage and the FCA warning list coverage. The agreement signed on 23 September 2026 is aimed at the networks behind the fraud. The steps above are what you can do if you are targeted, and they remain the same regardless of the agreement.

Source: Home Office announcement, 24 September 2026.

Related coverage on Kael Tripton: UK Fraud Strategy 2026-2029: £250m Investment, £30m Online Crime Centre, Multi-Agency Approach, APP Fraud Refunds: Why Lloyds Won't Repay Godwin Victims, APP Fraud in the UK: What UK Finance's 2026 Report Shows, Revolut Scam Warning: Impersonation Fraud and How to Stay Safe, UK Scam Losses Hit £9.4bn: What the Fraud Report Shows.

Frequently asked questions

What was signed between the UK and Cambodia?

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 23 September 2026 between the UK and Cambodian governments, enabling joint working for the first time to tackle networks of illegal scam centres. The Home Office announced the agreement on 24 September 2026.

What does the agreement cover?

Under the agreement the UK and Cambodian authorities will increase data sharing, coordinate activity against the criminal gangs, bring perpetrators to justice and ensure victims of trafficking receive support. The UK will help build the capacity of Cambodian law enforcement through training in cyber investigations, digital forensics and investigative procedures.

What is a scam centre?

The Home Office describes scam centres as places where fraud is scripted and scaled to target thousands of victims at once, deploying sophisticated tactics to lure victims into handing over cash, including through fake romantic relationships. Many are based in Southeast Asia.

Who carries out the scams in these centres?

The Home Office states that those conducting the scams are often trafficked foreign nationals, trapped and forced to carry out the fraud under threat of torture.

Why does this matter to someone in the UK?

Lord Hanson, Minister for Fraud, said that over two-thirds of fraud affecting the UK originates overseas, which is why agreements of this kind are vital to reducing the threat to the public at home. The Fraud Strategy states that one in fourteen adults and one in four businesses have become victims of fraud.