The cross-border agreement covers parallel investigations, intelligence sharing and coordination over prosecutions, with an in-person disruption operation planned in London for early October.
Authorities in the United States and United Kingdom have established a joint law enforcement alliance aimed at dismantling scam centers involved in cryptocurrency investment fraud and other cyber-enabled schemes.
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The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales and the UK National Crime Agency signed a memorandum of understanding formalizing the partnership.
The US Department of Justice announced the agreement on September 3, describing it as a “first-of-its-kind” arrangement for international cooperation focused specifically on disabling scam centers. Justice Department announcement
Agencies plan coordinated investigations
Under the memorandum, the participating authorities will conduct parallel investigations into shared targets and exchange information about organized crime syndicates connected to scam operations.
The agencies will also discuss which jurisdiction should prosecute cases involving common targets, allowing investigators and prosecutors to coordinate their responses across national borders.
US and UK authorities have already identified significant overlap between active cases, according to the Justice Department. They plan to hold an in-person disruption operation with private-sector partners in London in early October. The UK National Crime Agency will host the event.
The agreement expands the international reach of the Scam Center Strike Force, which US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro launched in November 2025.
The task force was created to investigate Chinese transnational organized crime networks accused of operating scam compounds, primarily in Southeast Asia. The operations have been linked to cryptocurrency investment fraud, money laundering and human trafficking.
The strike force includes the FBI, US Secret Service, Justice Department’s Criminal Division, US Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Several US attorney’s offices also participate, while the initiative works with the Treasury and State departments and private companies.
Reported losses reach $8.65 billion
The Justice Department estimates that cryptocurrency and cyber-enabled investment fraud schemes are costing Americans approximately $10 billion annually.
Data from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center showed that reported losses from cyber-enabled investment fraud increased to $8.65 billion in 2025, up from $4.57 billion in 2023. That represents an increase of 89% over two years.
Cyber-enabled fraud accounted for almost 85% of all losses reported to the complaint center in 2025. The Justice Department cautioned that the figures are based largely on victim reports and probably understate the actual financial damage because many fraud cases are never reported.
Scam centers frequently use fake cryptocurrency investment platforms, romance-based approaches and social engineering to convince victims to transfer money. Some compounds have also been accused of forcing trafficked workers to participate in fraud operations.
International crackdown widens
The new US-UK partnership follows other coordinated actions against similar networks.
On April 29, the Justice Department disclosed a Dubai police-led operation conducted with the FBI and China’s Ministry of Public Security. Authorities arrested 275 people in Dubai, while the Royal Thai Police detained another individual, bringing the total to 276.
The operation resulted in the closure of at least nine alleged crypto scam centers. Six people were charged in connection with schemes that allegedly used fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platforms to solicit deposits from victims. International operation report
Governments in Southeast Asia have also pursued tougher domestic penalties. Myanmar’s military government released a draft Anti-Online Fraud Bill on May 15 proposing prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life for digital currency fraud and operating scam centers.
The draft also included the possibility of capital punishment for certain offenses involving people coerced into scam-center work, with the death penalty required when the conduct caused a victim’s death.
Myanmar’s Parliament approved the bill on July 28 after resolving differences between versions passed by its two chambers. However, reports at the time did not confirm whether it had received presidential assent or when it would take effect. Myanmar legislation report