DOJ-led crackdown disrupted Southeast Asia pig butchering networks

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.