US Imposes Sanctions on Online Scam Centers in Southeast Asia
Summary
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Cambodian Senator Kok An and 28 associated individuals and entities for operating scam compounds that target U.S. citizens. These facilities, many housed in casinos and commercial complexes, used human trafficking victims forced to commit fraud under threat of violence. Americans lost at least $10 billion to scam operations in Southeast Asia in 2024 according to U.S. government estimates.
“The United States is taking coordinated action to protect Americans from large-scale online fraud and to expose the human rights abuses that enable it.”
About this source
The US State Department press releases page publishes every readout, designation, MOU signing, presidential certification, and policy statement from Foggy Bottom: bilateral and multilateral diplomatic actions, sanctions program announcements, foreign aid notifications, USAID program changes, and emergency consular advisories. Around 120 releases a month. Many State releases announce or accompany Treasury-OFAC actions, so this feed often previews sanctions and trade restrictions before the technical OFAC notice lands. Watch this if you track US foreign policy, advise on country risk, manage sanctions exposure, or follow specific bilateral relationships. Recent examples: a US-Bolivia $12 million infectious diseases MOU, the Secretary of State meeting Haiti's prime minister, sanctions designations on entities tied to Iran's missile and UAV programs.
What changed
OFAC designated Cambodian Senator Kok An and 28 associated individuals and entities under Executive Order 13694, as amended, for their roles in operating industrial-scale online fraud operations in Southeast Asia. The sanctions target those who built, operated, and profited from scam compounds that targeted U.S. citizens through deceptive digital-asset investment schemes and romance scams.
Financial institutions and businesses dealing with counterparties connected to Southeast Asian casino or commercial complexes should conduct enhanced due diligence. The action was coordinated with FBI, U.S. Secret Service, and the Department of Justice's Scam Center Strike Force, signaling continued enforcement against overseas fraud networks that victimize Americans.
Archived snapshot
Apr 23, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Home Office of the Spokesperson Press Releases … Imposing Sanctions on Online Scam Centers in Southeast Asia hide
Imposing Sanctions on Online Scam Centers in Southeast Asia
Press Statement
Thomas "Tommy" Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson
April 23, 2026
The United States is taking coordinated action to protect Americans from large-scale online fraud and to expose the human rights abuses that enable it. In 2024, Americans lost at least $10 billion to scam operations in Southeast Asia, according to a U.S. government estimate.
In response, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today imposed sanctions on Cambodian Senator Kok An and 28 associated individuals and entities. Kok An and his associates have operated and profited from scam compounds that target U.S. citizens and often use human trafficking victims who are forced to commit unlawful acts under the threat of violence, as documented in the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report). These facilities, many housed in casinos and commercial complexes, have stolen millions of dollars from Americans through deceptive digital-asset “investment” schemes that begin with unsolicited messages and false promises of friendship or romance.
This action was taken alongside ongoing efforts by the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, and the Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force.
These sanctions protect Americans and their hard-earned savings from the pervasive threat of online scam operations by disrupting the ability of criminal networks to perpetuate industrial-scale fraud using forced labor and physical and sexual abuse.
The Department of the Treasury’s sanctions designations were taken pursuant to Executive Order 13694, as amended by E.O. 13757, E.O. 14144, and E.O. 14306 (“E.O. 13694 , as amended. For more information, see Treasury’s Press Release .
Tags
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Cambodia Division for Counter Threat Finance and Sanctions Human Trafficking Office of the Spokesperson Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Sanctions and Designations
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