The Department of Justice announced coordinated Scam Center Strike Force actions against Southeast Asian criminal groups accused of stealing billions from Americans through cyber-enabled fraud. The actions include charges, website seizures, crypto restraints, sanctions, and reward offers tied to scam compounds in Burma and Cambodia. Officials said the effort targets criminal networks that use trafficking, fake investment platforms, and money laundering to support large-scale fraud.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva announced the actions with federal and interagency partners. The announcement included the FBI, Secret Service, Treasury, and State Department.
The Strike Force charged two Chinese nationals accused of managing a cryptocurrency investment fraud compound in Burma. Prosecutors also said the men tried to open another scam compound in Cambodia.
At the same time, authorities seized a Telegram channel allegedly used to recruit trafficking victims for a Cambodia-based compound. Officials said workers there posed as U.S. banks and the NYPD to steal savings from Americans.
The Strike Force also seized 503 fake investment websites linked to the broader fraud network. These sites allegedly helped scammers present fraudulent investment platforms to victims.
The Department said prosecutors and partners have restrained more than $700 million in cryptocurrency tied to money laundering from scam centers. They continue to identify funds linked to fraud against victims.
In a coordinated action, the Treasury announced sanctions against Cambodian scam center operators. The State Department also announced rewards for information leading to the seizure or recovery of proceeds from the Tai Chang scam center in Burma.
Officials described cryptocurrency investment fraud, known by scammers as “pig butchering,” as one of the fastest-growing cybercrimes targeting Americans. Scammers build trust over time before pushing victims into fake investment platforms.
Victims often see false returns inside those platforms, yet their money is transferred to scammers. The scheme continues until victims run out of funds or discover the fraud.
IC3 data cited by officials showed investment scams have become the most-reported crime type in 2023. Crypto investment fraud made up 83% of that category. Reported losses rose from $3.96 billion in 2023 to $5.8 billion in 2024, then passed $7.2 billion in 2025.
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Prosecutors charged Huang Xingshan and Jiang Wen Jie with wire fraud conspiracy. Huang is also known as “Ah Zhe” and “Huang Xing Saan.” Jiang is also known as “Jiang Nan.”
They allegedly managed operations at the Shunda compound in Min Let Pan, Burma. The compound operated from at least January 2025 until around November 2025.
The Karen National Liberation Army seized the compound in November 2025. Officials said trafficked workers used fake websites and mobile apps to defraud victims, including Americans.
After the seizure, the FBI deployed personnel to Thailand and worked with Thai authorities. Agents reviewed thousands of mobile devices and hard drives, interviewed former workers, and identified a hierarchy of Chinese operators.
The DOJ’s latest crackdown targets Southeast Asian scam centers accused of using fake investment websites, trafficking-linked compounds, and crypto laundering networks to steal from Americans. With charges, sanctions, website seizures, and over $700 million in restrained cryptocurrency, authorities are widening pressure on cross-border fraud groups.