WASHINGTON—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said it is seeking to crack down on Chinese organized crime and cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes through the creation of a new Scam Center Strike Force.
The Strike Force is to include the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia’s office, the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, the FBI and the United States Secret Service.
“Since President Trump has sought to make the U.S. a leading haven for cryptocurrency, it’s important for Americans to understand the safe use of the commodity,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. “There are no tricks that can be part of cryptocurrency.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the strike force will task agents and attorneys to “investigate, disrupt and prosecute the most egregious Southeast Asian scam centers and their leaders.”
The strike force will focus on Burma, Cambodia and Laos, the U.S. Attorney said.
Work With OFAC
The Scam Center Strike Force will work with the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), State Department and other agencies to disrupt the scam centers using a variety of tools like sanctions, seizures and criminal prosecution of individuals involved, and will also work to secure U.S. infrastructure against use by scammers and support and protect American victims with public education and restitution, the Office said.
Pirro added that her Office has already seized more than $400 million and is filing additional actions to forfeit $80 million to be returned to victims.
Meta, AARP Involved
Pirro added that Meta will be collaborating with the strike force to help fight criminal activity, and said Microsoft and AARP have also reached out to work with the government on this issue.
A U.S. government estimate reports that Americans lost at least $10 billion in 2024 to Southeast Asia-based scam operations, a 66% increase over the prior year, a news release noted.
