US and UK Join Forces to Target Crypto Scam Centers
The US and UK signed a first-of-its-kind MOU to coordinate investigations into crypto scam centers that cost Americans an estimated $10 billion annually.
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The United States and United Kingdom signed a first-of-its-kind agreement to coordinate investigations into international scam centers that use cryptocurrency fraud to drain American victims, the Department of Justice said.
The memorandum of understanding between the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales, and the UK's National Crime Agency creates the first formal cooperation framework aimed at dismantling scam compounds involved in crypto investment fraud, cyber-enabled schemes, and human trafficking, officials said. The groups collectively cost Americans an estimated $10 billion each year, the Justice Department said.
Under the deal, US and UK authorities will run parallel investigations, share intelligence on organized crime groups, and decide where to prosecute individual cases. The agencies will also prioritize threats that maximize the impact of joint efforts, the announcement said.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Bridget M. Pirro, who launched the Scam Center Strike Force in November 2025, said in a statement: "The United Kingdom is one of our oldest allies and partners. We've stood side by side to bring down global threats in multiple wars, and today we commit to stand together in the war on transnational organized crime. Together we will disable the Chinese TOC networks that are operating these scam compounds and depriving our citizens of their hard-earned funds, all while using human-trafficked labor to increase their profit. Standing together, we are invincible."
The strike force was created in response to the growing presence of Chinese organized crime groups operating scam centers, primarily across Southeast Asia, the Justice Department said. The task force focuses on cryptocurrency investment scams, cyber-enabled fraud, human trafficking, and money laundering that have caused billions in losses to American victims.
No date has been set for the first joint operation under the new agreement.
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