A building at a large-scale scam compound in Cambodia has been confirmed to be owned by a prominent local tycoon. The tycoon rented the building to the criminal organization and collected rent far above market rates, according to reports.
According to a recent Reuters report, the owner of the scam compound building in the O Smach area of Oddar Meanchey province in northwestern Cambodia, near the border with Thailand, was identified as the Lim Heng Group, led by real estate and casino tycoon Lim Heng.
Reuters confirmed this by interviewing a Thai military official who controlled the area during the Cambodia-Thailand clashes last year, as well as victims who escaped from the compound, and through on-site reporting.
The reporting obtained a lease agreement to rent three buildings located on the same site as O Smach's "Royal Hill" casino to a Chinese tenant for two years. The contract was drawn up in March 2024, and the monthly rent was listed at $200,000 (approximately 300 million won). This is eight times the $25,000 average monthly rent for buildings of similar size in Phnom Penh's upscale residential districts. The distance between the buildings used as the scam compound and the Royal Hill casino building was only a few dozen meters.
Thai authorities also confirmed that the owner of the buildings was the Lim Heng Group. At the O Smach compound, sets mimicking police stations of at least seven countries—including China, Australia, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and Brazil—and counterfeit police uniforms were discovered. The scam organization is believed to have used these facilities to impersonate the law enforcement authorities of various countries against victims.
A Thai woman who was a victim told Reuters that she was lured to the compound in 2022 by a job advertisement for a Facebook manager, then forced to take part in police impersonation scams. She said guards armed with batons monitored the workers, and punishment followed if they failed to meet quotas.
Reuters said it could not confirm evidence that the Lim Heng Group was directly involved in the scams or human trafficking within the compound. However, it was revealed that in September 2024, the Lim Heng Group filed lawsuits against two Cambodian media outlets that had reported on the confinement of foreigners within the compound. This suggests that at least from this point, the group was aware of the criminal activities within the compound.
Pen Nuon, a local reporter who had produced the report, explained to Reuters that although there were no errors in the article's content, he took down the article on the advice of a lawyer to ease the burden of the lawsuit. According to the civic group Cambodian Human Rights Action Coalition, if a building owner leaves a property unattended after becoming aware that it is being used for crime, they can become subject to prosecution on charges of aiding and abetting.
According to local media reports, Lim Heng serves as vice president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce and is a recipient of "Neak Oknha," an honorary title bestowed by the royal family. He maintains private relationships with military generals, and it was also confirmed that last year he donated $20,000 (approximately 30 million won) to the Cambodian military under the name of his association. This is the background to his reputation for deep connections with Cambodia's high-ranking officials.
