Recently, the collaboration between the Chinese travel platform giant “Ctrip Group” and the Cambodia National Tourism Authority has sparked panic among Chinese netizens, leading to a wave of account cancellations on Ctrip. Some netizens pointed out that Ctrip has a history of issues, fearing that Ctrip may leak their personal information to Cambodian scam operations.
On December 2, the Cambodian government issued an official statement indicating that from June 15 to October 15, 2026, a trial period of visa-free entry for Chinese citizens will be implemented. During these four months, Chinese citizens can stay up to 14 days upon each entry without the need for a visa application or any fees. They only need to fill out an electronic entry card for entry and can travel in and out of Cambodia multiple times.
On December 1, the CEO of the Cambodia National Tourism Authority, Kim Minnie, and the Vice President of Ctrip Group, Chen Guanqi, signed a cooperation agreement in Shanghai to officially establish a partnership in the tourism sector. The agreement aims to promote Cambodia as a popular tourist destination by offering exclusive hotel packages, combined tickets for attractions, and other projects.
Media reports on December 6 stated that what was supposed to be a routine business cooperation ceremony has unexpectedly stirred up panic among Chinese internet users. Following the signing of the agreement, instead of inquiring about travel packages, a large number of users quickly cancelled their Ctrip accounts, uninstalled the application, and cleared their personal information.
Screenshots claiming “Account permanently cancelled” flooded WeChat Moments.
One netizen said, “I was so scared, I cancelled it right away.” Another commented, “Safety first, hurriedly cancelled Ctrip account.” There were also sentiments like, “I had been using Ctrip for eight years, cancelled it last night, would rather pay more for airfare than receive scam calls from Cambodia.”
Some expressed concerns, “It’s terrifying, what if my information is leaked to a scam operation? I just cancelled my Ctrip account, hope it’s not too late.” “It’s disheartening, Ctrip had a data leak incident before, now partnering with Cambodia, extremely worried about them exposing my personal information to scammers.”
One user mentioned, “I unlinked my phone number and bank card overnight, but my information may have already been leaked, now constantly receiving scam calls.” Another remarked, “What’s the point of cancelling when they already have the data stored in their servers?”
Some netizens sarcastically remarked, “Seems like the scam operations in Cambodia are seriously understaffed, is Ctrip planning to collaborate with Myanmar next?” “If I am kidnapped in Cambodia, can Ctrip save me?”
Public records show that in 2014, Ctrip experienced a security breach leading to the leakage of sensitive user information, including names, ID numbers, and bank card details. In 2018, Ctrip was summoned by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for excessive data collection.
Due to the frequent occurrences of malicious incidents in Cambodian scam operations, many people from various countries are lured into these areas, forced to engage in criminal activities, and even subjected to violence and abuse.
In recent years, countries like Cambodia and Myanmar in Southeast Asia have established numerous scam operations, leading to the exploitation of many young Chinese individuals who are coerced or abducted into these scams and become victims of human trafficking, commonly known as “pigs,” being forced into telephone fraud, subjected to violence and abuse, and even subjected to activities like sexual slavery and organ harvesting.
In October, the U.S. Department of Justice froze $15 billion worth of Bitcoin assets belonging to Chen Zhi, the founder of the Cambodian “Prince Group,” accusing Chen Zhi, who is currently on the run, of involvement in human trafficking, online fraud, money laundering, and other criminal activities. The filing stated that Chen Zhi entered the Cambodian real estate market at the age of 24, and his rapid business expansion was strongly supported by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of State Security. Online rumors have circulated that Chen Zhi is a “white glove” for senior Chinese officials.
After the U.S. Department of Justice issued the indictment, multiple countries have collaborated to track the flow of funds related to the Prince Group. This includes the governments of the United Kingdom, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, all seizing assets associated with the Prince Group.