The United States and the United Kingdom have formed a joint law enforcement alliance targeting scam centers involved in cryptocurrency and cyber-enabled investment fraud.

On Thursday, the US Department of Justice announced that the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales, and the UK National Crime Agency had signed a memorandum of understanding. The DOJ described it as a "first-of-its-kind" international cooperation agreement aimed at disabling such scam centers.

Under the agreement, the agencies will conduct parallel investigations into common targets, share intelligence on organized crime syndicates, and coordinate on which jurisdictions should prosecute specific cases. That coordination is intended to address a long-standing challenge in cross-border fraud cases, where criminal networks operate across multiple jurisdictions and cases can fall between enforcement gaps. According to the DOJ, the authorities have already identified overlapping cases and are planning an in-person disruption operation with private-sector partners in London in early October.

The cross-border pact comes as reported US losses from crypto investment fraud continue to climb. Losses reported to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center rose 89% to $8.65 billion in 2025, up from $4.57 billion in 2023, according to the DOJ (announcement).

International Efforts Target Crypto Scam Compounds

The agreement expands the Scam Center Strike Force, which US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro launched in November 2025 to target Chinese organized crime networks operating scam centers primarily in Southeast Asia. According to the DOJ, these schemes include crypto investment fraud and are often linked to human trafficking and money laundering.

The task force comprises the FBI, the US Secret Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and Justice Department offices. It also collaborates with the US Treasury and State Department, as well as private companies, to disrupt scam operations and recover victims' funds. The inclusion of private-sector partners reflects the role of telecommunications and online platforms in the scam pipelines, which law enforcement cannot disrupt through arrests alone.

International authorities have previously coordinated raids against similar operations. On April 29, the DOJ reported a Dubai police-led operation involving the FBI and China's Ministry of Public Security, which resulted in 276 arrests and the closure of at least nine crypto scam centers. Six people were charged over schemes that allegedly used fake crypto investment platforms to solicit deposits from victims.

Governments in Southeast Asia have also pursued tougher domestic measures. On May 15, Myanmar's military government released draft legislation proposing sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison for digital currency fraud, with the death penalty possible in cases where people coerced into working at scam centers were killed. On July 28, Myanmar's Parliament approved the bill, though presidential assent had not been confirmed at the time of reporting.

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