Background
Site BM20 is an office building in Kbal Spean 1 Village, Poipet City. It was raided in April during a nationwide crackdown on online scam operations. According to a construction worker who spoke to Mekong Independent, the building had only become occupied 20 days prior, and parts of the building were still under construction.
Incidents
On 22 April, Site BM20 was raided in an operation led by National Police in cooperation with provincial authorities.
During the raid, a large number of workers pushed past police and fled the compound. Police attempted to barricade people inside and fired several warning shots. The scene was chaotic, and with the building surrounded by police some of those inside began to throw furniture and mattresses from the windows of the upper floors (see video here and from another angle). As escapees were captured and brought back into the compound, police armed with machine guns were filmed violently kicking people who had their hands on their heads and were offering no resistance.
National Police later reported that 402 people were arrested, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indonesian, Myanmar, Kyrgyz, Indian, Nepali, and Georgian nationals. Police seized 622 computers, 9 laptops, 2,432 mobile phones, and one firearm.
Of those arrested, 17 were identified as ‘key suspects’, including 14 Chinese nationals and 3 Cambodians said to be management personnel, interpreters, and the owner of a vehicle found at the property. A Cambodian woman was identified as the site manager. All 17 were held for further investigation. The remaining 385 foreign nationals were transferred to the General Department of Immigration for deportation processing.
According to police, the scam operation conducted fraud via social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and TextNow, using fabricated cryptocurrency investment platforms, stock trading schemes, and romance/pig-butchering tactics. The primary target demographic was victims in Europe and the United States.
Which Actors and Companies Have Been Linked to Site BM20?
We were unable to confirm who owns or manages Site BM20.
Location of Site BM20
Site BM20 in the News
2026
5 May: Mech Dara, ‘Poipet raids, firefights leave residents uneasy’, Mekong Independent. Link
1 May: ‘Shootout at Poipet Scam Compound’, Kouprey. Link
25 April: ‘柬埔寨警方在波比端掉电诈据点 402人被查涉10国籍 [Cambodian Police Dismantle Poipet Scam Den, 402 Investigated Across 10 Nationalities]’, Cambodia-China Times. Link
23 April: ‘Police arrest 400 in Poipet online scam crackdown’, Khmer Times. Link
22 April: ‘柬埔寨警方捣毁波比电诈窝点 数百人被捕 行动中鸣枪制止嫌犯逃逸 [Cambodian Police Raid Poipet Scam Den, Hundreds Arrested, Shots Fired to Stop Fleeing Suspects]’, Cambodia-China Times. Link
22 April: ‘កម្លាំងអគ្គស្នងការដ្ឋាននគរបាលជាតិ បើកប្រតិបត្តិការបង្ក្រាបអគារទីតាំង Online Scams ២កន្លែង នៅក្រុងប៉ោយប៉ែត ខេត្តបន្ទាយមានជ័យ ឃាត់មនុស្សជាង ៣០០នាក់
[National Police crack down on two Online Scam buildings in Poipet City, Banteay Meanchey, detaining over 300 people]’, Nokorwat News Daily. Link
22 April: ‘Shots fired as 300 arrested in Poipet City scam raids’, Khmer Times. Link
22 April: ‘Chaos erupts during condo raid as suspected scammers clash with police’, Kiripost. Link
Note: If any links are down or blocked, they may be available on the Wayback Machine.
