Images show abandoned belongings and mock police stations at a former scam center in Asia

O'SMACH, Cambodia (AP) — In the town of O’Smach, along Cambodia’s northern border with Thailand, stands a compound of abandoned buildings that were battered by shelling during recent weeks of armed clashes.

The site, now occupied by Thai troops, had served as one of Cambodia’s notorious scam centers, according to Thai officials.

A six-story building, shown to journalists and international observers on Monday during a trip organized by the Thai military, is scattered with documents, equipment and personal belongings, likely abandoned in haste.

“They are well-organized. They have good infrastructure and systems, and also the workflow and many, many tactics and techniques to do the scams,” said Lt. Gen. Teeranan Nandhakwang, director of the Thai army’s intelligence unit.

Experts say such scam operations in Cambodia and elsewhere have cheated people around the world out of billions of dollars and tricked people from many countries to work in them under slave-like conditions.

The Thai military said the compound was secured during the December clashes because Cambodian forces had used it as a military base.

A ceasefire reached in December stipulated that the warring sides would de-escalate tensions and hold their forces at the positions they occupied prior to the agreement. That includes the compound on Cambodian soil now occupied by Thai troops.

Dozens of rooms have wooden booths lined with foam for soundproofing, scripts written in multiple languages, lists of names and phone numbers, computer monitors and empty brackets for hard drives.

There are also mock-up sets resembling police stations and uniforms of law enforcement of at least seven countries: China, Australia, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and Brazil.

One room has a replica of what appears to be a Vietnamese bank branch, complete with service counters, banners and a waiting area.

The set-ups served as essential to a scam where people are targeted by scam operators pretending to be officials or other authority figures. Scripted approaches were meant to threaten arrest or other legal action unless instructions were followed.

A view of buildings that Thai authorities believe were being used for scam operations in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A Thai soldier keeps guard outside a scam center in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A Thai policeman inspects a damaged work station at a scam compound in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A Thai policeman inspects a scam compound in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A Thai soldier inspects a scam center in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

An Australian flag lies on the floor of an abandoned bedroom at a scam center in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai soldiers inspect a scam compound in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Fake dollar bills lie on the floor at a scam center in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A Thai journalist wears a fake Singapore police uniform at a mock-up set resembling a police station inside a scam compound in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A work station lined with foam for soundproofing is seen inside a scam compound in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A Thai soldier walks at a at scam compound in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A Thai solider inspects a work station inside a scam center in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A mock-up set resembling an Australian police station is seen at a scam compound in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A Thai soldier inspects a work station with wooden phone booths lined with foam for soundproofing, inside a scam compound in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai soldiers inspect an abandoned bedroom at a scam center in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai media inspect what appears to be a mock-up set resembling a Chinese police station at a scam center in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A journalist walks inside a damaged work station at a scam compound in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A fake Indonesian police shirt hangs inside a scam center in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

An abandoned bedroom is seen at a scam center in O Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A Thai soldier keeps guard outside a scam center in O'Smach, Cambodia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 as fuel prices continue to soar worldwide amid the Iran war.

According to motor club AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now $4.02 — over a dollar more than before the war began. The last time U.S. drivers were collectively paying this much at the pump was nearly four years ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The price is a national average, meaning drivers in some states have been paying well over $4 a gallon for a while now.

Since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint war against Iran on Feb. 28, the cost of crude oil — the main ingredient in gasoline — has spiked and swung rapidly. That’s because the conflict has caused deep supply chain disruptions and cuts from major oil producers across the Middle East.

Higher gas prices are impacting consumers and businesses as many households continue to face wider cost of living strains. And as drivers pay more to cover necessities like gas, many may be forced to cut their budgets in other places.

A woman fills her vehicle with fuel at a gas station, Monday, March 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A vehicle passes a gasoline price board at a filling station in Philadelphia, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)