200,000+ scam workers released
More than 200,000 scam workers poured into the streets of Phnom Penh after the Cambodian government's crackdown on scam compounds in early 2025.
Where this was said
Shibani Mahtani's Investigation: Who Are the Scam Workers?
At 4:02 · chapter starts 3:58
Back from the sponsor break, Shibani Mahtani takes over the narrative and describes the human landscape she encountered in Phnom Penh this spring: hundreds of former workers from at least 35 countries streaming toward embassy gates, unable to get home [1] — Shibani Mahtani "Workers from 35+ countries: Scam workers at Cambodian compounds came from at least 35 countries, spanning Asia and Africa, including a larg…" 04:08 . She interviewed dozens, finding that most were Chinese or Indonesian, but she was struck by the number of Africans — particularly Ugandans — who had been recruited into the English-language scam operations targeting Western victims. Most were cautious about sharing details, aware that the syndicates were still operating. It was through her Cambodian journalist friend and fixer Met Dara — who also drives a tuk-tuk — that she was introduced to Shoaib, a 24-year-old Ugandan man. Their first meeting at a Cambodian burger chain called Lucky Burgers was revealing: Shoaib seemed nervous at first, but once he started talking, he couldn't stop.
Workers from 35+ countries
Scam workers at Cambodian compounds came from at least 35 countries, spanning Asia and Africa, including a large number from Uganda.
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