276 Arrested in Global Crypto Scam Center Crackdown

A coalition of law enforcement agencies has arrested 276 people and shuttered about nine scam centers that posed as cryptocurrency investment platforms [1]. The operation was spearheaded by the Dubai Police Department in collaboration with the FBI and China’s Ministry of Public Security [1]. This international effort targeted networks that scammed Americans out of millions of dollars through fraudulent investment schemes [1].

Key takeaways

• Authorities arrested 276 individuals and closed nine scam centers in a joint operation [1].
• Six defendants face federal wire fraud and money laundering charges in San Diego [1].
• The schemes used "pig-butchering" tactics to build trust before stealing funds [1].
• A separate European operation dismantled a network causing €50 million in losses [2].

Global coalition targets transnational fraud

Dubai authorities apprehended 275 suspects, while the Royal Thai Police arrested one additional individual [1]. Among those detained were three defendants charged in the Southern District of California: Thet Min Nyi, a Burmese national, and Indonesian nationals Andreas Chandra and Lisa Mariam [1]. Wiliang Awang, another Indonesian national, was apprehended in Thailand [1]. These individuals are accused of managing or working for three organizations—Ko Thet Company, Sanduo Group, and Giant Company—that operated the fraudulent centers [1]. If convicted on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison and significant fines [1].

Deceptive tactics and parallel operations

The defendants allegedly utilized "pig-butchering" schemes, a type of fraud where scammers cultivate trust through friendship or romance before persuading victims to invest in fake cryptocurrency platforms [1]. Victims were encouraged to borrow money from friends and family to increase their investments, ultimately losing control of their funds once transferred [1]. FBI investigators have identified millions of dollars in losses tied to these specific operations [1]. The FBI reported that Americans lost over $11 billion to crypto and artificial intelligence-related scams in 2025 alone [2]. Meta Platforms provided critical information to assist the investigation [1].

In a separate but related action, Austrian and Albanian authorities, supported by Europol and Eurojust, dismantled a scam network in Tirana [2]. That operation resulted in ten arrests and the shutdown of three centers, with estimated losses exceeding €50 million [2].

Why it matters

This operation demonstrates the increasing ability of international law enforcement to coordinate across borders to combat financial crime [1]. As noted by Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva, there is a growing international consensus that scam centers are unwelcome everywhere and must be rooted out [1]. The FBI San Diego Field Office continues to investigate similar compounds, such as the Tai Chang Scam Enterprise, aiming to identify victims and recover funds [1].