(Phnom Penh): Representatives from 20 countries and international organisations adopted the Phnom Penh Declaration, pledging stronger international cooperation to break the criminal chain behind online scams and dismantle scam operations worldwide, according to the Phnom Penh Declaration seen by Fresh News on Thursday (Sep. 24).

The declaration was adopted in Phnom Penh on Thursday at the conclusion of the International Conference on Combating Online Scams, hosted by the Royal Government of Cambodia and co-sponsored by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), INTERPOL and the Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Centre (LMLECC).

The participating governments and organisations recognised online scams as a rapidly growing form of transnational organised crime linked to financial losses, money laundering, human trafficking and the misuse of emerging technologies.

The declaration calls for faster cross-border information sharing, stronger law enforcement cooperation, and improved mechanisms to freeze, seize, and recover criminal assets.

It also urges countries to strengthen legal and regulatory frameworks, designate 24/7 national focal points, enhance financial and digital investigations, and deepen cooperation with banks, payment providers, telecommunications companies, technology platforms, and other private-sector actors.

A key commitment is to break the entire online scam criminal chain, including targeting organisers, recruiters, facilitators, money mules, technology enablers and money-laundering networks.

The declaration also places greater emphasis on protecting victims, particularly people trafficked and forced to participate in online scam operations. It calls for rescue, identification, protection, assistance, repatriation and reintegration measures, as well as implementation of the non-punishment principle for trafficking victims, subject to national laws.

The countries further agreed to strengthen public awareness, digital and financial literacy, and measures against fraudulent recruitment and employment schemes that can lead people into scam operations.

The declaration calls for the dismantling and permanent closure of online scam compounds through decisive law enforcement action and stronger cross-border operational cooperation.

The Phnom Penh Declaration is voluntary and legally non-binding and will be implemented in accordance with national laws, international legal instruments, human rights, due process, and privacy and personal-data protections.
=FRESH NEWS