USA and UK Join Forces to Combat Crypto Scams
BITmarkets Team
Sep 07, 2026
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 the pact as the “first-of-its-kind” international cooperation agreement specifically focused on disrupting scam center operations.
US and UK agencies to coordinate investigations
Under the agreement, authorities will run parallel investigations into shared targets, exchange intelligence on organized crime groups and determine which jurisdictions are best placed to prosecute individual cases. The DOJ said the agencies have already identified several overlapping investigations and are planning an in- disruption operation with private-sector partners in London in early October.
The partnership comes as reported losses from crypto investment scams in the United States continue to rise sharply. According to the DOJ, losses reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center increased 89% to $8.65 billion in 2025, up from $4.57 billion in 2023.
Scam Center Strike Force expands internationally
The agreement broadens the reach of the Scam Center Strike Force, which US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro launched in November 2025. The task force focuses on Chinese organized crime networks operating scam compounds, particularly in Southeast Asia. These operations are often linked to cryptocurrency investment fraud, money laundering and human trafficking, according to the DOJ.
Participating US agencies include the FBI, US Secret Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and several Justice Department offices. The initiative also works with the US Treasury, State Department and private companies to disrupt scam networks and recover funds for victims.
International crackdowns on crypto scam centers continue
Authorities in several countries have already taken coordinated action against similar operations. On April 29, the DOJ reported that a Dubai police-led operation involving the FBI and China’s Ministry of Public Security resulted in 276 arrests and the shutdown of at least nine crypto scam centers. Six individuals were charged over schemes that allegedly used fake cryptocurrency investment platforms to attract deposits from victims.
Governments in Southeast Asia have also moved toward tougher penalties. In May, Myanmar’s military government released draft legislation proposing prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life for digital currency fraud, with the death penalty possible in cases where people forced to work in scam compounds were killed. Parliament approved the bill on July 28, although presidential assent had not been confirmed at the time of the report.
Sources:
https://cointelegraph.com/news/us-uk-joint-alliance-crypto-scam-centers
