24/7 hotline established to support cyberscam victims
NATIONAL Police chief Sar Thet has reminded the public that specialists are standing by 24 hours a day to assist people who suspect they have been scammed by cybercriminals.
The reminder came as he chaired a January 31 meeting with a working group from the banking and finance sector.
The meeting was held to discuss ways of curbing online financial offences and money laundering, said a National Police social media post.
During the meeting, Thet noted that many people have fallen for online scams, with similar crimes occurring almost every day.
He explained that the hotline team was established to support existing legal mechanisms. The specialist team members can help people file complaints and provide them with helpful information.
In addition, he asked that the private sector, especially banks and microfinance institutions, cooperate with the police and the hotline team to improve the efficiency of the process.
“In the modern age, online scams are widespread. Even though they are not traditional crimes, it is regular people who are suffering. It is important that the banking sector cooperates with us to eliminate these crimes,” he added.
He called on the public to inform the hotline immediately if they suspect they have been scammed, adding that the police are on standby around the clock, and can be reached via hotline.police. gov.kh. or the National Police Facebook page.
Am Sam Ath, operations director at rights group LICADHO, said on February 1 that current scams often begin as messages from strangers offering prizes. Unsuspecting members of the public are usually asked to send money to claim their winnings.
He added that some cyberscams involve offers of lowinterest loans, with debtors later coerced into sharing intimate photographs when they cannot keep up with payments. The victims are then blackmailed.
He believes that the hotline would make it easy for people to contact the authorities.
“I hope that online complaints generate timely responses from the police, and that the hotline team can protect the personal information of victims,” he said.
Sam Ath acknowledged that it is somewhat difficult for the police to identify scammers and arrest them, but believes it is possible.
“It all depends on the determination of the police to search for them,” he added.
In one recent case, the National Police reported on January 27 that the scam hotline team had arrested Sao Polo, a 35-year-old who was selling fake licence plates and forged public documents, including national ID cards and police ID cards, online.