The United States and the United Kingdom have created a joint law enforcement alliance focused on scam centers involved in crypto and cyber-enabled investment fraud.
On Thursday, the US Department of Justice said 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. The DOJ called it a "first-of-its-kind" international cooperation agreement designed to disable those scam centers.
Agreement covers investigations, intelligence sharing and case coordination
Under the memorandum, the agencies will run parallel investigations into shared targets, exchange information on organized crime syndicates, and discuss which jurisdictions should prosecute particular cases.
The DOJ said authorities have already identified overlapping matters and plan an in-person disruption operation in London in early October with private-sector partners.
The cross-border agreement comes as reported US losses tied to crypto investment fraud keep rising. According to figures cited by the DOJ, losses reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center increased 89%, from $4.57 billion in 2023 to $8.65 billion in 2025.
Move expands the Scam Center Strike Force
The agreement broadens the Scam Center Strike Force, which US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro launched in November 2025 to target Chinese organized crime networks operating scam centers mainly in Southeast Asia.
According to the DOJ, those operations include crypto investment fraud schemes and are often linked to human trafficking and money laundering.
The task force includes the FBI, the US Secret Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and Justice Department offices. It also works with the US Treasury Department, the State Department, and private companies to disrupt scam operations and recover victims’ funds.
Authorities in multiple jurisdictions have already taken action
International agencies have also coordinated raids against similar operations. On April 29, the DOJ reported that an operation led by Dubai police, with the FBI and China’s Ministry of Public Security involved, resulted in 276 arrests and the closure of at least nine crypto scam centers.
Six people were charged over alleged schemes that used fake crypto investment platforms to solicit deposits from victims.
Southeast Asian governments are also tightening domestic rules
Governments in Southeast Asia have pursued stricter domestic measures as well. On May 15, Myanmar’s military government released draft legislation proposing prison terms ranging from 10 years to life for digital currency fraud. The death penalty could apply if people coerced into working at scam centers were killed.
On July 28, Parliament approved the bill, though presidential assent had not been confirmed.