The United States and United Kingdom have established a joint law enforcement alliance to investigate and dismantle cryptocurrency scam centers and organized crime networks. According to the U.S. Department of Justice announcement on September 3, the U.S. 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 focused on cross-border enforcement. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro signed the agreement alongside Crown Prosecutor Stephen Parkinson and NCA Director General Graeme Biggar at the residence of UK Ambassador Sir Christian Turner. The DOJ called this the first international cooperation agreement of its kind specifically designed to disable scam centers carrying out cryptocurrency and cyber-enabled investment fraud. Pirro framed the arrangement as a wartime alliance against transnational crime, stating that together they will disable Chinese transnational organized crime networks operating scam compounds and depriving citizens of their hard-earned funds.
The partnership addresses a significant escalation in cyber-enabled investment fraud losses. Reported US losses from cyber-enabled investment fraud climbed 89% from $4.57 billion in 2023 to $8.65 billion in 2025, according to FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center data cited by the DOJ. Cyber-enabled fraud accounted for almost 85% of all losses reported to the center last year. U.S. authorities estimate such schemes are costing Americans approximately $10 billion annually. The DOJ cautioned that these figures are largely based on reports submitted by victims and could substantially understate actual losses because many fraud cases are never reported. International enforcement has also intensified, with a Dubai police-led operation on April 29 involving the FBI and China's Ministry of Public Security resulting in 276 arrests and closure of at least nine crypto scam centers. Six individuals were charged over alleged schemes using fake cryptocurrency investment platforms to solicit victim deposits.
The alliance establishes a comprehensive framework for international cooperation. Investigators from both countries will pursue parallel investigations into common targets, exchange information on organized crime syndicates, and determine which jurisdiction should handle specific cases where their investigations overlap. The agencies plan their first in-person disruption operation with private sector partners in London in early October. This operation will be hosted by the National Crime Agency and will involve meeting with private-sector companies to coordinate enforcement actions against scam centers. Under the arrangement, authorities have already identified overlapping matters and are coordinating their efforts through the new alliance framework. The partnership extends a campaign that began in November 2025, when Pirro launched the Scam Center Strike Force.
The new agreement builds on substantial enforcement successes across multiple jurisdictions. During a May enforcement initiative organized by the Scam Center Strike Force, the NCA joined agencies from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Thailand, along with private companies, to exchange information on scam infrastructure. That operation resulted in the disruption of more than 1.4 million social media and email accounts, while private companies froze more than $3.8 million in cryptocurrency linked to laundering funds stolen from Americans. Seven suspected scammers were arrested in Thailand, and authorities disrupted servers, network connections and other infrastructure. In April, the US Attorney's Office, along with partners, restrained more than $700 million in crypto tied to scam compounds. Private firms have joined the effort, with Coinbase freezing over $3 million linked to Asian fraud rings during a DOJ Disruption Week in June. The Scam Center Strike Force has seized more than $800 million since its November 2025 launch.
The Scam Center Strike Force, created by Pirro in November 2025, has concentrated on Chinese organized crime groups accused of running compounds primarily across Southeast Asia. Its investigations cover cryptocurrency investment scams, cyber-enabled fraud, human trafficking and money laundering. Participating agencies include the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, Justice Department Criminal Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. In July, the DOJ sought forfeiture of $25 million recovered through five investigations involving suspected victims in the United States and Canada. The DOJ's stepped-up anti-fraud posture is reflected in cases like the $57 million IRS tax refund fraud indictment that charged seven people over allegedly filing more than 100 fictitious returns and obtaining over $8 million in improper refunds.
