U.S. Justice Department expands crackdown on Southeast Asia scam centers, restrains over $700 million

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US crackdown on scam centers

Highlights

U.S. Department of Justice coordinated criminal charges against two Chinese nationals managing cryptocurrency fraud compounds in Burma and Cambodia, and dismantled 503 fake investment websites.
Authorities seized a Telegram channel allegedly used to recruit human trafficking victims for Cambodian scam centers and are intensifying anti-trafficking measures.
The Justice Department has restrained over $700 million in cryptocurrency tied to money laundering, while the Treasury imposed sanctions and the State Department announced new rewards targeting proceeds from the Tai Chang scam center.

Coordinated enforcement actions across Burma and Cambodia

As reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Scam Center Strike Force is announcing a coordinated set of measures against criminal organizations operating scam centers in Burma and Cambodia. The department says the effort includes criminal charges against two Chinese nationals accused of managing a cryptocurrency investment fraud compound in Burma and attempting to open another compound in Cambodia.

Authorities are also seizing a Telegram channel allegedly used to recruit human trafficking victims to a scam compound in Cambodia, where workers were directed to carry out a law enforcement impersonation scheme. In a separate action, officials are taking down 503 fake investment websites that investigators say were used to defraud victims.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro says the Strike Force, launched in November 2025, is building on the president's executive order on cybercrime, fraud, and predatory schemes against American citizens. She says the campaign combines law enforcement, intelligence, diplomatic, and financial tools to disrupt transnational scam networks and impose consequences on those behind them.

Financial pressure and broader U.S. response

The Justice Department says its U.S. Attorney's Office, Criminal Division, and partner agencies have now restrained more than $700 million in cryptocurrency alleged to be tied to money laundering from cryptocurrency scams. Officials say they continue to identify additional funds connected to scam center operations and are seeking seizure and forfeiture of those assets.

In a parallel interagency move announced the same day, the Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on Cambodian scam center operators, while the State Department is offering rewards for information leading to the seizure or recovery of proceeds linked to the Tai Chang scam center in Burma. The combined steps show the U.S. response is extending beyond criminal prosecutions into sanctions, asset recovery, and anti-trafficking enforcement.

Our earlier article on the Justice Department’s $300 million Special Attorneys Program explained how federal authorities plan to expand prosecutorial capacity for fraud, drug trafficking, and human trafficking cases nationwide. The initiative is meant to strengthen coordination between federal and local agencies by placing qualified prosecutors within DOJ divisions and U.S. Attorney’s Offices, supporting a broader push to crack down on complex, multi-jurisdictional crime.

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