Russians, Cambodians arrested after impersonating Hun Sen to perpetrate fraud
Two Russian nationals and two Cambodians have been arrested by the Anti-Cyber Crime Department for impersonating Senate President Hun Sen and other high-ranking officials on Telegram.
They used fake accounts to encourage members of the public to invest in fraudulent investment schemes which promised high profits.
On July 4, the department announced that it had investigated the scheme, which had duped people out of more than $40,000.
Besides impersonating Hun Sen, the perpetrators also faked accounts of Heng Sour, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training, and Kim Santepheap, secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice.
Initially, on June 21, anti-cybercrime officers detained one Cambodian suspect who was responsible for receiving money from the scam victims. Further investigation led to the arrest of three additional suspects on June 23, including two Russians and one Cambodian woman.
According to the authorities, the Cambodian woman facilitated the transfer of funds from the initial suspect and converted the money into electronic funds, likely cryptocurrency.
The four suspects have been referred to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for legal proceedings.
“Please exercise caution before investing online and thoroughly verify the sources of online investment promotions to avoid financial losses or damage to your interests,” warned the department.
Niem Chheng
The Phnom Penh Post
Asia News Network
