TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Embassy in Cambodia has handled 2,585 protection cases involving Indonesian citizens in the first half of 2025, with the majority linked to online fraud networks. Indonesian Ambassador to Cambodia, Santo Darmosumarto, confirmed this alarming increase.
Santo noted that this figure represents more than double the cases handled during the same period last year, which totaled 1,265. "Of special concern is that 83 percent of these cases are related to Indonesian citizens who work with online fraud syndicates," Santo said in a post on the embassy's Instagram account, @indonesiainphnompenh, on Thursday, July 17, 2025.
Based on his experience, Santo highlighted that resolving online scam cases involving Indonesian citizens is the most complicated, dangerous, and time-consuming aspect of his office's protection efforts in Cambodia.
He also urged the public to be more cautious about job offers abroad, advising them not to be easily lured by promises of high salaries with minimal requirements. "If you want to work abroad, let's be wiser and more careful," he cautioned.
Cambodia's Crackdown on Online Fraud
Previously, the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) had announced that Cambodian authorities were conducting operations to eradicate online fraud networks across several areas of the country, and Indonesian citizens were among those targeted.
Santo mentioned that the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh had received information regarding this ongoing crackdown on online fraud activities by the Cambodian authorities. However, as of the publication of this article, Santo admitted that the exact number of Indonesian citizens apprehended in these operations across various Cambodian regions was not yet known.
"The Indonesian Embassy will continue to communicate with local authorities to uncover details and follow up on the widespread reports in Cambodia," Santo told Tempo when contacted on Wednesday night, July 16, 2025.
According to reports from local Cambodian media, operations were carried out in two provinces, namely Kratie and Banteay Meanchey, on Wednesday. Freshnewsasia.com reported that the operation in Banteay Meanchey Province took place in Poipet City, an area known to have a significant number of Indonesian residents.
Furthermore, the operation in Kratie Province reportedly involved citizens with passports from Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, and Indonesia. As of the publication of this article, the Indonesian Embassy in Cambodia has not been able to confirm the precise number of Indonesian citizens caught in these operations.
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