Scammers running crypto-related “investment” fraud operations are increasingly the target of coordinated international policing, with the United States and the United Kingdom announcing a new cross-border law enforcement partnership designed to disrupt organized scam centers.
On Thursday, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Crown Prosecution Service for England and Wales, and the UK National Crime Agency signed a memorandum of understanding to enable “first-of-its-kind” cooperation against scam centers involved in crypto and cyber-enabled investment fraud. The DOJ also linked the effort to a growing volume of losses attributed to these crimes, citing FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center reporting.
Key takeaways
- The US and UK have signed a memorandum of understanding to run parallel investigations into cross-border scam center targets tied to crypto and cyber-enabled investment fraud.
- Under the agreement, agencies plan to share information on organized crime syndicates and coordinate which jurisdictions should prosecute specific cases.
- The DOJ says an early October in-person disruption operation is planned in London with private-sector partners.
- The new pact builds on the DOJ’s “Scam Center Strike Force,” created to target organized networks linked to scam centers operating in parts of Southeast Asia.
- US-reported losses from crypto investment fraud have risen sharply, according to DOJ figures referencing FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center data.
A US-UK framework for joint investigations
The memorandum of understanding announced by the DOJ formalizes how agencies from both sides of the Atlantic will investigate shared targets. According to the DOJ, the participating authorities will conduct investigations in parallel into overlapping scam center cases, exchange information about organized crime syndicates, and discuss which jurisdictions are best positioned to pursue prosecutions.
The DOJ said authorities have already identified overlapping cases and intend to take further steps that move beyond information sharing—specifically, an in-person disruption operation in London scheduled for early October. The plan includes collaboration with private-sector partners, reflecting the reality that many crypto fraud ecosystems rely on services, infrastructure, and payment channels that sit outside traditional law enforcement boundaries.
This type of coordination matters because scam centers often operate as part of wider networks. Victims can be recruited online, funds can be routed across multiple platforms and jurisdictions, and enforcement challenges multiply when different stages of the scheme fall under different legal systems. By aligning investigative work, the US and UK aim to reduce the “handoff gaps” that criminals exploit.
Why the crackdown is accelerating
The DOJ’s announcement comes alongside escalating reported losses tied to crypto investment fraud. In its statement, the agency pointed to FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center data indicating US losses rose 89% from $4.57 billion in 2023 to $8.65 billion in 2025. The implication for readers is straightforward: while enforcement actions continue, the scale of the harm—at least as measured through US reporting—has been increasing rapidly.
Just as importantly, the DOJ’s focus is not limited to isolated hacking or single-offender schemes. The agency tied the new cooperation to scam centers—physical or semi-physical operations that enable large-volume fraud, often using fraudulent websites, fake “investment” platforms, and other cyber-enabled recruitment methods. These operations can persist for long periods if criminals can rotate locations, compartmentalize teams, or move money through layers that are difficult to unwind quickly.
Expansion of the Scam Center Strike Force
According to the DOJ, the agreement expands the “Scam Center Strike Force,” an initiative US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro launched in November 2025. The strike force is described as targeting Chinese organized crime networks that operate scam centers primarily in Southeast Asia, where schemes can include crypto investment fraud and are frequently linked, according to the DOJ, to human trafficking and money laundering.
The strike force includes a broad range of US agencies: the FBI, US Secret Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations, along with Justice Department components. The DOJ said it also coordinates with the US Treasury and State departments and works with private companies to disrupt scam operations and recover victims’ funds.
That mix of responsibilities—investigation, financial accountability, and victim recovery—reflects the structure of many crypto investment fraud cases. Even when scams originate through social engineering or fake platforms, the proceeds often move through financial rails that require different expertise to identify, freeze, and trace.
Other international actions and tougher domestic proposals
The US-UK memorandum fits into a broader pattern of cross-border activity targeting scam operations connected to crypto fraud. The DOJ previously highlighted an operation led by Dubai police, working with the FBI and China’s Ministry of Public Security, which it said took place on April 29. That effort resulted in 276 arrests and the closure of at least nine crypto scam centers, according to the DOJ. The DOJ’s earlier report also said six people were charged over alleged schemes using fake crypto investment platforms to solicit deposits from victims.
Meanwhile, enforcement pressure is also showing up in domestic legislation in parts of Southeast Asia. According to earlier coverage cited in the DOJ-related article, Myanmar’s military government released draft legislation on May 15 proposing sentences ranging from 10 years to life for digital currency fraud, with the death penalty possible where victims coerced into working at scam centers were killed. That bill, according to the same coverage, was approved by Parliament on July 28, though presidential assent had not been confirmed at the time.
Taken together, these developments suggest a gradual tightening of both investigation coordination and legal deterrence. For investors and users, the practical takeaway is not that fraud will disappear quickly, but that authorities are increasingly treating crypto-enabled investment scams as a cross-border organized crime issue rather than a series of isolated cyber incidents.
What to watch next
The immediate next milestone is the planned early October in-person disruption operation in London, alongside the information-sharing and parallel investigation mechanics outlined in the US-UK memorandum. As authorities continue to align cases across jurisdictions and work with private-sector partners, victims and compliance teams should expect more coordinated takedowns—and also pay close attention to how governments define responsibility across the entire fraud pipeline, from recruitment to money movement to platform infrastructure.
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