Understanding Cambodia’s Scam Economy, with Jacob Sims

Today on The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast host Katie Putz is joined by Jacob Sims, a columnist for The Diplomat, a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Asia Center, and a leading expert on transnational crime and human rights in Southeast Asia. Sims is the author of a series of essays for The Diplomat focused on the cyberscam economy in Cambodia, which landed The Diplomat its first appearance as a finalist in the Society of Publishers in Asia – or SOPA – 2026 Awards for Editorial Excellence. 

The winners will be announced on June 18, but today we have Sims on the podcast to talk about Cambodia’s scam economy, its global reach, and its domestic roots.

You can subscribe to The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; and watch the episode on YouTube.