Cambodian police arrest 175 Chinese suspects in phone fraud

Officials in Cambodia said on Friday they have arrested 175 Chinese citizens after a tip-off from Chinese police about their suspected involvement in an internet phone scam. The Interior Ministry's immigration investigation chief, General Ouk Haiseila, said the suspects were arrested on Wednesday in Poipet on the Thai border.

The arrests are the latest in a crackdown in the region on Chinese gangs that make phone calls made over the internet to extort or trick people into transferring money to them. There have been similar cases in the past few weeks in Thailand and Indonesia. Most of the targets appear to be fellow Chinese, and suspects are generally quickly deported to China. Police often take part in raids on the gangs. Since 2012, almost 1,000 Chinese and Taiwanese accused of taking part in internet scams have been arrested in Cambodia and deported to China.