Overview
- U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said freezes and seizures tied to scam networks have topped $580 million in under three months.
- The activity targets transnational operations linked to Chinese criminal organizations running compounds in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.
- Formed in November 2025, the multi-agency Scam Center Strike Force includes DOJ divisions, the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation.
- Investigators describe pig-butchering schemes that contact Americans via social media and texts, build trust, then route cryptocurrency to fake trading platforms, with some compound workers coerced or trafficked.
- Officials estimate U.S. losses near $10 billion annually, and private analysts say the recoveries represent only a fraction of global crypto fraud involving tens of thousands of criminal groups.