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U.S. Targets Southeast Asia Scam Centers With Charges, Sanctions and Seizures

The move signals a broader U.S. effort to cut off fraud hubs built on forced labor.

Overview

  • U.S. agencies leading the Scam Center Strike Force announced Thursday a coordinated crackdown that charged two alleged managers of a Myanmar compound and sanctioned Cambodian Senator Kok An.
  • The two suspects, Huang Xingshan and Jiang Wen Jie, are in Thai custody on immigration charges as the United States seeks their extradition on a wire fraud conspiracy case.
  • Investigators seized a Telegram recruitment channel used to lure workers into a forced compound in Cambodia and took down more than 500 fake investment websites used to steal cryptocurrency.
  • Authorities said they have restrained more than $700 million in crypto believed tied to victims, and Tether disclosed freezing about $344 million in USDT in coordination with U.S. sanctions.
  • The State Department offered rewards up to $10 million for tips on scam proceeds, as officials detailed compounds where trafficked workers are forced to run romance and law‑enforcement impersonation schemes.