U.S. and U.K. law enforcement agencies have established a new joint framework to tackle international networks behind cryptocurrency and cyber-enabled investment scams. The initiative will coordinate investigations, improve intelligence sharing, and help authorities decide where and how to pursue cases involving shared targets.
- U.S. and U.K. authorities will pursue shared scam networks through coordinated investigations.
- Cryptocurrency-related fraud accounts for billions of dollars in reported losses in the United States.
- Law enforcement agencies and private-sector companies are preparing a joint disruption operation in London in October.
US and UK Join Forces Against International Scam Networks
U.S. and British law enforcement agencies have created a new cooperation framework aimed at dismantling international organizations involved in cryptocurrency and online investment fraud.
The agreement, announced Sept. 3, brings together the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales, and the U.K. National Crime Agency.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Crown Prosecutor for England and Wales Stephen Parkinson, and National Crime Agency Director General Graeme Biggar signed the agreement on behalf of their respective agencies.
The framework will allow the agencies to work on investigations involving the same criminal targets, exchange intelligence on organized crime groups, and coordinate decisions over which jurisdiction should prosecute particular cases.
The initiative builds on wider international cooperation. On Aug. 27, the U.K. also received backing from the Five Eyes intelligence partnership comprising the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for stronger intelligence exchanges and coordinated efforts against global fraud networks.
The U.S. Scam Center Strike Force, launched in November 2025, has already focused on transnational criminal organizations operating scam compounds, particularly across Southeast Asia. The initiative brings together prosecutors and federal agencies, including the FBI and U.S. Secret Service, to investigate fraud, money laundering, cryptocurrency activity and the digital infrastructure supporting these operations.
Crypto Fraud Highlights the Scale of the Problem
The financial damage associated with online fraud has grown substantially in recent years.
FBI data shows that Americans reported $20.88 billion in internet crime losses during 2025, with cryptocurrency-related complaints accounting for approximately $11.37 billion.
Investment fraud represented about $8.65 billion of the reported losses. Cryptocurrency investment scams alone were responsible for roughly $7.2 billion, making them the largest reported category of financial loss in the FBI’s annual assessment.
Many overseas scam compounds use a method commonly known as “pig butchering.” Criminals typically approach potential victims through social media, messaging platforms or dating applications and spend time establishing a relationship before introducing a fraudulent investment opportunity.
Victims are then directed toward fake trading platforms or cryptocurrency wallets, where fabricated profits can make the scheme appear legitimate. When victims attempt to withdraw their money, scammers may demand additional payments or simply cut off communication.
Authorities have also highlighted the human cost behind these operations. Some scam compounds allegedly use trafficked workers who are confined under coercive conditions and forced to target victims around the world.
Warning signs can include unsolicited investment pitches, promises of guaranteed returns, unfamiliar trading platforms, requests for passwords or recovery phrases, and websites designed to imitate legitimate financial services.
The U.S. government has also moved to strengthen its response to foreign-based scam operations. In March, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to develop broader strategies involving law enforcement, diplomacy, technology and regulation.
Authorities Target the Money Behind Scam Operations
Disrupting the financial infrastructure supporting scam centers has become a major part of the international crackdown.
U.S. authorities had restrained more than $700 million worth of cryptocurrency by April in cases allegedly connected to laundering proceeds from scam centers targeting Americans. The State Department also offered rewards of up to $10 million for information that could help disrupt the finances of scam compounds in Burma.
Another major case involved an effort to seize approximately 127,271 BTC, worth around $15 billion when the case was filed, from Cambodian businessman Chen Zhi. Prosecutors linked the forfeiture action to allegations involving cryptocurrency fraud, money laundering, organized crime and human trafficking.
These actions demonstrate how investigators are increasingly focusing not only on the people running scam operations but also on the cryptocurrency wallets, financial channels and other infrastructure used to move their proceeds.
Private Companies Join the Disruption Effort
Law enforcement agencies are also working with technology and financial companies to cut off the infrastructure used by international fraud networks.
A disruption campaign conducted in May involved private-sector companies and reportedly resulted in the interruption of more than 1.4 million accounts associated with scams. Authorities also said the operation helped freeze more than $3.8 million in cryptocurrency.
The latest U.S.-U.K. initiative is expected to deepen this public-private cooperation.
Authorities from both countries are preparing to participate with industry partners in a National Crime Agency-hosted disruption event in London in early October. The effort is expected to focus on disrupting the digital, communications and financial systems that allow overseas scam networks to reach victims and move stolen funds.
The new alliance signals a broader shift toward international coordination against crypto-enabled fraud, with authorities increasingly combining criminal investigations, intelligence sharing, asset seizures and private-sector intervention to target scam networks across borders.
