US and UK launch joint alliance to disrupt crypto scam centers

Sep 4, 2026

The United States and United Kingdom have launched a first-of-its-kind joint law enforcement alliance to disrupt global cryptocurrency scam centers. Signed on September 3, 2026, by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and British officials, the pact targets transnational Chinese organized crime syndicates using human-trafficked labor in Southeast Asia. The alliance will share intelligence and coordinate prosecutions to combat cyber fraud, which caused reported U.S. losses to jump 89% to $8.65 billion in 2025.

US-UK joint enforcement alliance

▪The United States and the United Kingdom signed a first-of-its-kind memorandum of understanding on September 3, 2026, to establish a joint law enforcement alliance targeting cryptocurrency and cyber-enabled investment fraud.
▪U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Crown Prosecutor Stephen Parkinson, and National Crime Agency Director General Graeme Biggar signed the agreement at the Washington residence of the British ambassador.
▪The joint alliance brings together the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, England and Wales’ Crown Prosecution Service, and the UK’s National Crime Agency.
▪Under the agreement, U.S. and UK investigators will conduct parallel investigations, share intelligence on organized crime syndicates, and coordinate on which country is best positioned to prosecute shared targets.

Chinese organized crime networks

▪The joint U.S.-UK alliance will target transnational organized crime networks operating scam compounds, specifically focusing on networks associated with Chinese organized crime and human trafficking.
▪Chinese organized crime networks operating scam compounds in Southeast Asia lure workers with promises of high-paying jobs, then hold them against their will to force them to conduct cryptocurrency fraud.

Crypto investment fraud losses

▪Reported U.S. losses from cryptocurrency investment fraud rose 89% from $4.57 billion in 2023 to $8.65 billion in 2025, according to FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center data.
▪U.S. authorities estimate that cryptocurrency and cyber-enabled investment fraud schemes cost the public approximately $10 billion annually.

Scam Center Strike Force operations

▪The U.S. Scam Center Strike Force, founded by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro in November 2025, has seized more than $800 million since its launch.
▪The Scam Center Strike Force includes the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

International disruption operations

▪The U.S. and UK agencies plan to host an in-person disruption event with private-sector partners in London in early October 2026 to target criminal organizations and their digital infrastructure.
▪A May 2026 enforcement initiative involving the Scam Center Strike Force, international partners, and private companies resulted in the disruption of over 1.4 million social media and email accounts.
▪During the May 2026 enforcement initiative, private companies including Coinbase, Meta, Microsoft, and Starlink froze over $3.8 million in cryptocurrency and disabled infrastructure linked to fraud.

Cross-border arrests

▪Myanmar's Parliament approved an anti-online scam bill on July 28, 2026, proposing prison sentences of 10 years to life, and the death penalty if forced labor leads to a victim's death.
▪An INTERPOL-led operation announced in July 2026 resulted in 5,811 arrests across 97 countries and territories, blocking more than 31,000 bank accounts and intercepting $293 million in illicit assets.
▪An international law enforcement operation in April 2026 involving the FBI and authorities in the UAE, China, and Thailand led to at least 276 arrests and the disruption of nine scam centers.