US and UK Sanction Illegal Scam Organizations for Human Trafficking and Torture in Cambodia and Beyond

Prince Group and Others Construct Scam Centers in Cambodia
Foreigners Lured by Fake Job Advertisements

The British and U.S. governments have imposed sanctions on organizations operating illegal scam centers that deceive victims worldwide to extort money and torture trafficked laborers, the UK government announced on October 14 (local time).

Yonhap News Agency

The sanctioned entities include the Prince Group and its chairman, Chen Zhi. According to the UK government, they construct complexes in places such as Cambodia that are used as casinos and scam centers, and are involved in their operations through agents.

The UK government also decided to sanction Jinbei Group, which is engaged in leisure and entertainment businesses linked to the Prince Group, as well as the Byex Exchange, a virtual asset platform connected to both Jinbei Group and Prince Group.

The UK government designated Golden Fortune Resort World as a sanction target as well, explaining that it is a front company behind a large-scale scam complex on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, disguised as a technology park and built by a Prince Group subsidiary.

Scam centers in Southeast Asia, including Cambodia and Myanmar, lure foreigners with fake job advertisements into closed casinos or special-purpose facilities, threaten them with torture, and force them to commit online fraud, the UK government pointed out.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury also announced on the same day that it has designated the Prince Group as a "transnational criminal organization" and imposed 146 sanctions related to the group, including its chairman Chen Zhi. Additionally, it confirmed measures to block Huiyuan Group, a major financial services company based in Cambodia, from the U.S. financial system.