The British Embassy Phnom Penh reported on 22 September 2026 that Lord Hanson, Minister of State for the Home Office, was visiting Cambodia for the first time to attend the International Conference on Combating Online Scams, planned for 22 to 24 September. The UK and Cambodia planned to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding supporting closer intelligence sharing, financial and digital investigations, and stronger protections for victims of trafficking linked to scam operations. Hanson was also expected to meet Cambodian government counterparts, UN agencies and independent journalists.

According to the embassy, the UK and US have taken coordinated action against networks running scam centres across Southeast Asia, including sanctions that froze more than £125 million in assets. Those sanctions were applied on 14 October 2025 against the Prince Group, its chairman Chen Zhi and related entities, freezing UK-based assets that included a mansion and an office building.

The embassy said Cambodia had taken measures in recent months including new legislation, enforcement action and a dedicated commission. In remarks cited by the embassy, Hanson described fraud as a global threat and said no country could tackle it alone, adding that cooperation would focus on sharing intelligence, tracing money and protecting people harmed by the crime.