Reuters · Bangkok Post
Cambodian tycoon was landlord to scammers and traffickers
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O’SMACH, Cambodia - A gambling empire controlled by a powerful Cambodian tycoon was the landlord of a compound that was used for industrial-scale scamming and human trafficking operations, Reuters has found.
Key facts
- Lim Heng Group leased out buildings on grounds shared with one of its casinos on the Thai-Cambodian border at above-market rates, a rental agreement dated March 2024 and seen by the news agency shows.
- The US government has estimated that Americans lost $10 billion to fraudsters in the region in 2024.
- O’SMACH, Cambodia - A gambling empire controlled by a powerful Cambodian tycoon was the landlord of a compound that was used for industrial-scale scamming and human trafficking operations, Reuters has found.
- He also donated $20,000 last year to Cambodia’s military, according to a business association which lists Lim Heng as a member.
- The lease said Royal Hill would rent three buildings in its compound to the Chinese national for two years at $200,000 a month
- A mixed-use building in an upscale neighbourhood in the capital, Phnom Penh, of comparable size to the largest of the three Royal Hill structures was advertised in May for $25,000 a month.
Summary
Lim Heng Group leased out buildings on grounds shared with one of its casinos on the Thai-Cambodian border at above-market rates, a rental agreement dated March 2024 and seen by the news agency shows.
The structures housed rooms that had been transformed to look like police stations and bank offices from multiple countries — the backdrops for impersonation scams perpetrated on victims worldwide, according to interviews with the Thai military and people who worked in those buildings, as well as two visits by Reuters this year to the property.