Question 1

What is the "Card Game & Forced ATM Scam" scam in Kampot?

Accepted Answer

A seemingly friendly local — often well-dressed and fluent in English — approaches tourists near Kampot's riverside strip or at guesthouses and invites them to a private home for a card game or social gathering. Once inside, victims are pressured or coerced into playing rigged card games and lose large sums of money. In more serious incidents reported across Cambodia, victims have been forced at gunpoint to withdraw cash from ATMs. Multiple government advisories including the US State Department, Australian DFAT, and Canadian DFAT have flagged this as an active scheme. Never accept invitations to private homes from strangers you have just met, regardless of how friendly or legitimate they seem. If someone insists on showing you a "local experience" or card game, decline firmly. Tell your guesthouse where you are going if you accept any invitation from a new acquaintance.

Question 2

What is the "Fake Kampot Pepper" scam in Kampot?

Accepted Answer

Kampot pepper has a protected geographical indication, but vendors in tourist markets sell ordinary Cambodian or Vietnamese pepper in Kampot-branded packaging at premium prices. Some shops mix inferior pepper with genuine Kampot product. The riverside night market and roadside stalls are the main locations for this fraud. Buy pepper only from certified Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA) members or directly from farm shops with visible certification. Check for the official GI logo on packaging. Avoid buying from unlicensed roadside vendors.

Street Scams in Kampot

Card Game & Forced ATM Scam

Fake Kampot Pepper

Experienced a scam here?