Madagascar Scam Centres Linked to Cambodia Operations

Authorities in Madagascar have uncovered connections between online scam centres operating in the country and a criminal group previously active in Cambodia, which also targeted African nationals through alleged human trafficking schemes.

The raids, conducted in August and September with the US Department of Justice, revealed that the scam centres were mostly run by Chinese nationals, 148 of whom have been extradited to China.

During the operations, US authorities reported seizing US$52 million in cryptocurrency in one day and processing over 3,200 electronic devices.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had previously warned in 2025 about the expansion of these scam networks, particularly into Southern Africa.

Eleven Chinese nationals arrested during the crackdown mysteriously walked free from a Madagascar jail in August, sparking a scandal that allegedly involved the head of the prison service.

The scam centres allegedly lured African nationals via social media with promises of work in Madagascar’s commercial sector, only to confiscate their passports and force them into fraudulent activities.

A Malaysian national, identified as Chui Kok Wa, was charged with running a romance scam scheme and was found living in a villa in Antananarivo, Madagascar, according to US authorities.

The DOJ believes the criminal group, with ties 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.

Madagascar’s Communications Ministry linked the recent scam operations to a 2025 crackdown on scam compounds in Cambodia near the border with Thailand, where the groups relocated their activities following clashes with Thai military forces.

An FBI court document noted that three Brazilian nationals who worked at a scam compound in Madagascar reported that they originally responded to work opportunities posted online and ended up working at a compound located in Cambodia. Later, in part due to an armed conflict between Cambodia and Thailand, and also in response to police activity in Cambodia related to scam compounds, the witnesses were moved to Antananarivo, Madagascar, in early May 2026.

The US authorities intervened because these scam centres primarily targeted English-speaking countries, including the United States, Canada, and Pakistan.

Local officials in Madagascar noted the growing presence of scam centres, citing the shift from discreet villas to entire hotel rentals as a sign of their increasing scale.