The United States and United Kingdom have formed a joint law enforcement alliance to investigate and dismantle scam centers behind cryptocurrency investment fraud and other cyber-enabled schemes.
- The US and UK have signed a joint agreement to investigate and disrupt crypto scam centers and organized crime networks.
- Authorities will share intelligence, pursue overlapping cases and determine which country should prosecute specific suspects.
- Reported US losses from cyber enabled investment fraud climbed 89% from $4.57 billion in 2023 to $8.65 billion in 2025.
- The agencies plan their first in person disruption operation with private sector partners in London in early October.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Sept. 3 that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales and the UK National Crime Agency had signed a memorandum of understanding focused on cross-border enforcement against the operations.
The DOJ called the pact the first international cooperation agreement of its kind specifically designed to disable scam centers carrying out cryptocurrency and cyber-enabled investment fraud. U.S. authorities estimate such schemes are costing Americans approximately $10 billion a year.
US and UK crypto scam alliance targets common cases
Investigators from both countries will pursue parallel investigations into common targets, exchange information on organized crime syndicates and determine which jurisdiction should handle specific cases where their investigations overlap.
Authorities have already identified several cases of common interest, according to the DOJ. The agencies plan to meet with private-sector companies in London in early October for an in-person disruption operation hosted by the National Crime Agency.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro signed the agreement alongside Crown Prosecutor for England and Wales Stephen Parkinson and NCA Director General Graeme Biggar at the residence of UK Ambassador to the United States Sir Christian Turner.
Pirro said the agencies would work together to disable transnational organized crime networks operating scam compounds and targeting victims while using trafficked workers to carry out fraudulent schemes.
The alliance builds on existing cooperation between U.S. and UK authorities. During a May enforcement initiative organized by the Scam Center Strike Force, the NCA joined agencies from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Thailand, along with private companies, to exchange information on scam infrastructure.
That operation resulted in the disruption of more than 1.4 million social media and email accounts, while private companies froze more than $3.8 million in cryptocurrency linked to laundering funds stolen from Americans. Seven suspected scammers were arrested in Thailand, and authorities disrupted servers, network connections and other infrastructure.
Crypto.news previously reported that Coinbase froze over $3 million in cryptocurrency linked to Southeast Asian scam networks during the enforcement effort. Meta, Microsoft and Starlink took action against accounts and infrastructure linked to suspected fraud operations.
Crypto investment fraud losses reached $8.65 billion
The new agreement follows a sharp rise in reported losses from cyber-enabled investment fraud in the United States.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center data cited by the DOJ showed reported losses from such scams climbed 89% from $4.57 billion in 2023 to $8.65 billion in 2025. Cyber-enabled fraud accounted for almost 85% of all losses reported to the center last year.
The DOJ cautioned that the figures were largely based on reports submitted by victims and could substantially understate actual losses because many fraud cases are never reported.
Created by Pirro in November 2025, the Scam Center Strike Force has concentrated on Chinese organized crime groups accused of running compounds primarily across Southeast Asia.
Its investigations cover cryptocurrency investment scams, cyber-enabled fraud, human trafficking and money laundering. Participating agencies include the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, Justice Department Criminal Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations, while the Treasury and State departments work with the task force on related actions.
Federal prosecutors have increasingly pursued the cryptocurrency and online infrastructure used by the networks. In July, the DOJ sought forfeiture of $25 million recovered through five investigations involving suspected victims in the United States and Canada.
Those cases involved fake cryptocurrency investment platforms and laundering networks linked to China, Malaysia and Cambodia. Prosecutors said at the time that the Scam Center Strike Force had seized more than $800 million since its November 2025 launch.
Authorities have targeted Southeast Asian scam compounds
A major enforcement action announced in April demonstrated the scale of the networks under investigation. U.S. authorities charged two Chinese nationals accused of managing a cryptocurrency investment fraud compound in Burma and attempting to establish another operation in Cambodia.
The DOJ said more than $700 million in cryptocurrency linked to suspected scam-related money laundering had been restrained through coordinated enforcement actions. Authorities seized 503 fake investment websites and a Telegram channel with more than 6,000 followers that prosecutors said was used to recruit people to a scam compound in Cambodia.
Workers were allegedly attracted with promises of high-paying employment before being held against their will and forced to participate in fraud schemes. Some job advertisements specifically sought workers who could speak with American accents and work during U.S. daytime hours.
Fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms used by such networks commonly displayed fake account balances and investment returns to persuade victims to send more funds. Investigators have tied similar methods to relationship-based schemes in which scammers spend extended periods building trust before introducing fake investment opportunities.
An international crackdown announced in April led to 276 arrests and the disruption of at least nine scam centers connected to investment fraud. Dubai police detained 275 people, while another suspect was arrested in Thailand as investigators pursued networks accused of using fake cryptocurrency platforms.
Chinese, U.S. and UAE authorities later described the Dubai action as their first joint crackdown on telecom and online fraud. Investigators said suspects used social media to establish fake romantic relationships before directing victims toward purported high-return cryptocurrency investments.
Regional governments step up action against scam centers
Countries where scam compounds operate have pursued their own enforcement and legislative measures as international investigations continue.
Myanmar’s Parliament approved an anti-online scam bill on July 28 after lawmakers reconciled versions adopted by its two chambers.
A draft published in May proposed prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life for operating an online scam center or committing digital currency fraud. It covered recruitment, financial facilitation, telecommunications support and other activities connected with online fraud networks.
The draft permitted capital punishment where violence, torture, unlawful detention or cruel treatment was used to force people to work in scam operations, with the death penalty required when such conduct caused a person’s death.
Final amended legislation, a presidential assent notice and a commencement date had not been publicly confirmed when the parliamentary approval was reported on July 29.
International enforcement has continued outside Southeast Asia as investigators follow the financial infrastructure used by organized fraud groups. An INTERPOL operation running from November 2025 through June 2026 resulted in 58 arrests and involved authorities from 22 countries, including the United States and United Kingdom.
Investigators examined romance scams, fake cryptocurrency investments, business email fraud and the shell companies, bank accounts and digital wallets used to move proceeds. Separately, an INTERPOL-led operation announced in July resulted in 5,811 arrests across 97 countries and territories, with authorities blocking more than 31,000 bank accounts and intercepting $293 million in illicit assets.
The U.S.-UK agreement now provides a formal framework for investigators and prosecutors in both countries to share information, pursue overlapping scam-center cases and decide where suspects should face prosecution. Their first planned joint disruption event under the pact is scheduled to take place with private-sector partners in London in early October.
