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U.S. authorities have seized more than $584.7 million in cryptocurrency linked to scam compounds operating across Southeast Asia. Officials say the funds are tied to large-scale investment fraud schemes run by Chinese transnational criminal organizations that target victims through social media and online platforms.
Good to Know
The seizures resulted from investigations conducted by the Scam Center Strike Force, a joint initiative launched in 2025. The task force is led by the U.S. Attorney Office for the District of Columbia and includes coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
Investigators have focused on dismantling cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes commonly known as “pig butchering.” In these operations, scammers build relationships with victims over time before persuading them to send digital assets to fraudulent investment platforms controlled by the criminal networks.
Authorities say many of the operations function from large compounds located in Cambodia, Laos, and Burma. From those sites, organized groups run online fraud campaigns that target victims abroad while relying heavily on internet infrastructure and social media platforms based in the United States.
Officials believe the seizure represents an important step toward weakening the financial systems supporting the criminal networks. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said removing large amounts of cryptocurrency from circulation limits the ability of organized crime groups to continue operating these scams.
Federal authorities are now preparing forfeiture proceedings that aim to return recovered funds to victims whenever possible. Investigators will attempt to identify individuals affected by the schemes and distribute recovered assets through the legal process.
The Strike Force also plans to disrupt the infrastructure used to operate the fraud networks. Federal agencies are working to disable U.S. based domains, social media accounts, and financial channels that scammers use to reach potential victims.
Officials say the scale of the scam industry has grown rapidly in recent years. Government estimates suggest Americans lose nearly $10 billion annually to online fraud operations tied to cryptocurrency investment scams.
In several Southeast Asian jurisdictions, investigators believe the scam industry has expanded so significantly that revenue from scam compounds represents a substantial share of national economic activity.
Authorities continue encouraging victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud to report incidents. Complaints can be filed through the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.