(Phnom Penh): Koeut Rith, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, revealed that global financial losses from technology-based crimes and scams reached an estimated USD 442 billion in 2025.

He spoke on Friday (Apr. 3) during a joint press conference with Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith, Head of the Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Online Scams (CCOS), at the Ministry of Justice.

Citing reports released in March 2026 by INTERPOL and the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Koeut Rith said the USD 442 billion estimate reflects the massive global impact of financial fraud and cyber-enabled crimes within a single year.

Deputy Prime Minister Koeut Rith noted that historically, drug trafficking has been considered the most serious global crime, followed by human trafficking and illegal arms trafficking. These crimes have long driven international cooperation and legal frameworks.

To address them, he said, the United Nations established conventions against transnational organized crime and created the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Drug trafficking alone generates an estimated USD 300–500 billion annually, while human trafficking accounts for more than USD 340 billion in losses.

Importantly, the deputy prime minister added that technology-based fraud has now emerged as a new global threat, with estimated losses of USD 442 billion in 2025. Although losses in 2024 were reportedly even higher, he warned that online scams remain a rapidly growing global issue, including in Cambodia.
=FRESH NEWS