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U.S., Chinese, Thai, and Dubai law enforcement agencies disrupted a major cryptocurrency investment fraud network by raiding at least nine scam centers in Dubai and arresting 276 people across the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The investigation began after the FBI received complaints from American victims who lost millions of dollars in so-called pig-butchering schemes, and authorities said the operation used fake online personas, romance-style social engineering, and fraudulent crypto investment platforms to steal funds from victims worldwide.
U.S. prosecutors in San Diego unsealed fraud and money laundering charges against alleged operators Thet Min Nyi, Wiliang Awang, Andreas Chandra, and Lisa Mariam, along with two fugitive co-conspirators. Investigators said the network operated through Ko Thet Company, Sanduo Group, and Giant Company, luring victims to bogus platforms including CoinswiftTrading and SwiftLedger, then moving stolen money through cryptocurrency accounts to obstruct recovery. The Justice Department said the action forms part of its broader Scam Center Strike Force campaign against cyber-enabled fraud that reportedly cost Americans $16 billion in the prior year.
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The U.S. Department of Justice framed the takedown as part of its broader 2026 Scam Center Strike Force campaign targeting cyber-enabled fraud. Officials said such scams stole about $16 billion from Americans in the prior year.
Federal prosecutors in San Diego announced fraud and money laundering charges against four alleged operators—Thet Min Nyi, Wiliang Awang, Andreas Chandra, and Lisa Mariam—along with two unnamed fugitive co-conspirators. The indictment says the conspiracy ran through early March 2026 and used fake crypto platforms such as CoinswiftTrading and SwiftLedger.
U.S., Chinese, Thai, and Dubai law enforcement disrupted the fraud network by raiding at least nine scam centers in Dubai. The coordinated action resulted in at least 276 arrests tied to cryptocurrency investment fraud operations affecting victims in the U.S. and elsewhere.
After numerous American victims reported losing millions of dollars in pig-butchering scams, the FBI and partners began investigating the fraud network. Investigators used Meta-provided information, financial data, and cryptocurrency records to trace the operation to Dubai.
According to the indictment, the cryptocurrency investment fraud conspiracy was active from at least 2024, using fake personas and fraudulent trading platforms to target victims. The network allegedly operated through entities including Ko Thet Company, Sanduo Group, and Giant Company.
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The U.S. Department of Justice said a coordinated **"Disruption Week"** operation under its Scam Center Strike Force disrupted cyber-enabled fraud and cryptocurrency investment scam networks targeting Americans, including so-called **pig butchering** operations tied to compounds in Cambodia, Laos, and Burma near the Thailand border. Working with U.S. agencies, foreign law enforcement, major technology firms, and blockchain companies, the effort disrupted more than **1.4 million** social media and email accounts, interrupted malicious network activity, decommissioned scam infrastructure, and froze more than **$3.8 million** in cryptocurrency allegedly used to launder victim funds. Authorities said the networks are linked to transnational organized crime, including Chinese syndicates, and often rely on trafficked workers forced to run fraud schemes under threat of violence. The operation also led to the arrest of **seven** suspected scammers in Thailand, additional cases opened by the Royal Thai Police Anti Cyber Scam Center, and referrals for further U.S. investigation. DOJ said reported U.S. losses from cryptocurrency investment fraud continued to surge, rising from **$3.96 billion** in 2023 to **$5.8 billion** in 2024 and more than **$7.2 billion** in 2025.
Jun 29, 2026
U.S. authorities and private-sector partners disrupted transnational scam compounds in Southeast Asia that were tied to **pig-butchering cryptocurrency fraud**, broader confidence scams, and human trafficking networks used to supply forced labor. Reporting says the **Scam Center Strike Force**, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with support from the DOJ, FBI, Secret Service, Treasury, and State Department, helped neutralize **1.4 million malicious accounts**, disable supporting infrastructure, and seize more than **500 fake investment domains**. Meta, Microsoft, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other partners were also identified as participants in the disruption effort. The campaign was paired with financial and enforcement actions aimed at the ecosystem enabling the fraud. According to public reporting, U.S. authorities froze more than **$832 million** in cryptocurrency and seized major Telegram recruitment channels allegedly used to traffic workers into scam compounds. Treasury also announced sanctions against a Burma-based armed group and associated companies linked to organized crime targeting Americans, underscoring a broader U.S. effort to pressure entities accused of protecting or facilitating the scam-center industry.
Jul 18, 2026
The U.S. Department of Justice has seized the domain of the notorious Tai Chang scam compound in Myanmar, disrupting a major 'pig butchering' fraud operation. The scam compound, located in Kyaukhat, was responsible for orchestrating large-scale investment fraud schemes, including spoofing legitimate trading platforms to lure victims into depositing funds under false pretenses. This action is part of a broader crackdown on scam compounds in Southeast Asia, which have collectively defrauded victims of billions of dollars. One of the seized domains, `tickmilleas.com`, was a fake version of the legitimate TickMill trading platform and was used to trick victims into sending cryptocurrency and downloading fraudulent apps. The FBI, working with the newly formed Scam Center Strike Force and international partners, identified multiple victims who lost money through the site in just the past month. Law enforcement has placed a warning splash page on the seized domain and coordinated with Google and Apple to remove associated malicious apps, further disrupting the scammers' operations.
Jun 29, 2026