China · DOJ · Bangkok Post
Scam centres relocated from Cambodia raided in Madagascar
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Raids against online scam centres in Madagascar have exposed ties with a criminal group that ran similar operations in Cambodia, also duping African nationals via human trafficking, authorities say.
Key facts
- Conducting romance, cryptocurrency and investment fraud, the sites were mostly operated by Chinese nationals, 148 of whom have been extradited to China, Madagascar’s justice ministry said.
- About $52 million worth of cryptocurrency was seized in a single day and more than 3,200 electronic devices were processed, the US authority said in a statement.
- Raids against online scam centres in Madagascar have exposed ties with a criminal group that ran similar operations in Cambodia, also duping African nationals via human trafficking, authorities say.
- From the visa in his passport, we were able to deduce that he arrived here for the first time in 2024
- The DoJ said it believed his “criminal group with connections to Malaysia and China opened scam compounds in Madagascar in early 2025, likely having moved those operations from Cambodia after law enforcement action in that country.”
- The coordinator of the cybercrime unit at Madagascar’s communications ministry, Tsitohaina Ralihivao, drew a connection with a 2025 crackdown on scam compounds in Cambodia near the border with Thailand, when their militaries also clashed.
Summary
Conducting romance, cryptocurrency and investment fraud, the sites were mostly operated by Chinese nationals, 148 of whom have been extradited to China, Madagascar’s justice ministry said.
Thirteen Chinese-run scam compounds were taken down during operations in August and September conducted with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), it said.