The Malaysian embassy in Phnom Penh, in cooperation with Cambodia’s general department of immigration, repatriated 29 Malaysian citizens, the embassy announced on Facebook today.

Earlier this month, two Malaysians suspected of being forced into cybercrime were repatriated after escaping from scam centres.

They were believed to be victims of fraudulent online recruitment rackets that had lured them to work at scam centres in Cambodia.

Cambodian security authorities continue to clamp down on online scams and online illegal gambling operations which have recruited thousands of young job seekers from Southeast and South Asian countries.

Hundreds of scam centres, operated by international crime gangs, involved in cheating innocent victims abroad, have been crippled since last year in the ongoing security operations.

This week, over 2,000 Indonesian nationals who fell victim to fraudulent job offers sought the assistance of their embassy in Phnom Penh after escaping from scam compounds.

Local media, citing the general department of immigration, reported that more than 13,000 victims from over 60 countries suspected of being involved in cyber fraud were deported last year.