KENYA · SECURITY
Key Facts
- What The US Treasury sanctioned four people and 41 entities tied to Cambodia’s Prince Group scam network.
- Why The Prince Group, a Cambodia-based crime network, is linked to fraud and human trafficking and was sanctioned twice before.
- Kenya The US Embassy says hundreds of Kenyans were rescued from Southeast Asian scam centres in 2026.
- Also Treasury also sanctioned a Malaysian national who led a network of scammers in Madagascar.
The US Treasury Department sanctioned a global scam network on Thursday 5 November 2026, and the US Embassy in Nairobi says Kenyans are among the people rescued from such operations. The action covers four people and 41 entities linked to the Prince Group, a Cambodia-based criminal organisation.
For US readers, the sanctions bar Americans from doing business with the targets and freeze their property under US jurisdiction. They are aimed at networks that Treasury says steal billions of dollars from American victims.
What Happened
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Treasury unit that enforces US sanctions, listed the targets as supporters of the Prince Group transnational criminal organisation. Treasury says the group was sanctioned earlier, on 14 October 2025 and 23 June 2026, for cyber-enabled fraud, money laundering and human trafficking.
Treasury also sanctioned Chui Kok Wa, a Malaysian national it says led a network of scammers in Madagascar who defrauded US victims. It said the action was coordinated with the FBI (the US Federal Bureau of Investigation) and the Justice Department’s Scam Center Strike Force, a unit that targets scam operations.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: “Cyber scam syndicates continue to steal billions of dollars from American victims.” The remark came as Treasury announced the new designations.
Forty-five of the 46 targets were designated under Executive Order 13581, which covers transnational criminal organisations. Chui was designated under Executive Order 13694, which covers cyber-enabled activity.
An OFAC designation freezes any property the target holds under US jurisdiction. Americans must not deal with the targets.
The Kenya Link
In a statement on Friday 6 November 2026, the US Embassy in Nairobi said hundreds of Kenyans were rescued from scam centres in Southeast Asia in 2026. The Treasury release itself does not mention Kenya, so the Kenyan figures rest on the embassy’s statement.
What It Means for You
If you or a relative is offered a high-paying job abroad, check the employer and the recruiting agency with the host country’s government before travelling. Scam compounds depend on workers who arrive believing the offer is real.
Banks, crypto firms and payment companies that serve US customers must now screen for the 46 new names. Americans who lost money to online investment scams should not expect the sanctions to return it, since they freeze assets but do not refund victims.
What Is Not Known
It is not known how many of the rescued Kenyans were held by the sanctioned entities, because the Treasury release names no Kenyan victims. The release also does not say whether any of the 41 entities operate in Kenya.
It is not known whether the Kenyan government will comment on the embassy statement. It is also not known whether more US sanctions are planned against the Africa-based network.
More: Kenya news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Did the US Sanction on 5 November 2026?
The Treasury sanctioned four people and 41 entities tied to Cambodia’s Prince Group. It also sanctioned a Malaysian national who led a scam network in Madagascar.
Were Kenyans Affected?
The US Embassy in Nairobi says hundreds of Kenyans were rescued from scam centres in Southeast Asia in 2026. The Treasury release does not mention Kenya.
What Do the Sanctions Do?
They bar Americans from doing business with the targets and freeze their property under US jurisdiction. They do not refund victims.
Sources: US Department of the Treasury, press release “Treasury Targets Global Scam Networks and the Corporate Infrastructure That Enables Them”, 5 November 2026; US Embassy in Nairobi, statement on Kenyans rescued from scam centres, 6 November 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
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