A scam factory needs an address. It needs computers, an internet connection and somebody who can keep the operation running. And once money starts coming in, there are ways to collect a share without ever sending a fraudulent message.
In Cambodia, Al Jazeera investigated alleged scam kingpin Deng Pibing and his Long Bay tourism project.
Cambodian authorities responded in October 2026 that they had discovered suspected scam buildings there in February. They said the groups had fled, suspects had been detained and the site sealed. They also said Deng was under investigation and had left Cambodia in late May. Those dates matter: a documentary broadcast in October does not establish that every scene was filmed that month.
But the case opens a question worth following beyond one development: who supplied the premises, who controlled access, and who earned money while the operation lasted?
In the first article, I followed people whose savings were stolen and people imprisoned behind the keyboar…