DOJ-led crackdown disrupted Southeast Asia pig butchering networks
The U.S. Department of Justice said a coordinated "Disruption Week" operation under its Scam Center Strike Force disrupted cyber-enabled fraud and cryptocurrency investment scam networks targeting Americans, including so-called pig butchering operations tied to compounds in Cambodia, Laos, and Burma near the Thailand border. Working with U.S. agencies, foreign law enforcement, major technology firms, and blockchain companies, the effort disrupted more than 1.4 million social media and email accounts, interrupted malicious network activity, decommissioned scam infrastructure, and froze more than $3.8 million in cryptocurrency allegedly used to launder victim funds.
Authorities said the networks are linked to transnational organized crime, including Chinese syndicates, and often rely on trafficked workers forced to run fraud schemes under threat of violence. The operation also led to the arrest of seven suspected scammers in Thailand, additional cases opened by the Royal Thai Police Anti Cyber Scam Center, and referrals for further U.S. investigation. DOJ said reported U.S. losses from cryptocurrency investment fraud continued to surge, rising from $3.96 billion in 2023 to $5.8 billion in 2024 and more than $7.2 billion in 2025.
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How this story unfolded
6 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
Authorities freeze over $3.8 million in laundered cryptocurrency
As part of the operation, authorities and industry partners helped freeze more than $3.8 million in cryptocurrency linked to laundering funds stolen from scam victims.
Private-sector partners disrupt scam accounts and infrastructure
During Disruption Week, participating companies disrupted more than 1.4 million social media and email accounts, interrupted malicious network activity, and decommissioned infrastructure tied to Southeast Asian scam networks.
Thai authorities arrest seven alleged scammers
Authorities in Thailand arrested seven scammers connected to the fraud networks, and the Royal Thai Police Anti Cyber Scam Center opened new cases for further investigation.
DOJ launches Scam Center Strike Force
The Department of Justice launched the Scam Center Strike Force to combat cyber-enabled fraud, human trafficking, and money laundering tied to scam compounds and cryptocurrency investment fraud.
DOJ announces results of Disruption Week
On June 3, 2026, the DOJ publicly announced the results of the first-of-its-kind Disruption Week operation against pig butchering and related cyber-enabled fraud targeting Americans.
Disruption Week operation begins against scam networks
On May 18, 2026, the DOJ and partners launched a coordinated "Disruption Week" operation targeting cyber-enabled fraud and cryptocurrency investment scam networks in Southeast Asia that targeted Americans.
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DoJ Disrupts Southeast Asia Crypto Fraud Networks, Freezes $3.8 Million in Assets
thehackernews.com
Open sourceOffice of Public Affairs | Scam Center Strike Force Announces Results of U.S. & Private Industry “Disruption Week” | United States Department of Justice
justice.gov
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International Takedown Disrupts Dubai-Based Pig-Butchering Crypto Scam Network
U.S., Chinese, Thai, and Dubai law enforcement agencies disrupted a major cryptocurrency investment fraud network by raiding at least nine scam centers in Dubai and arresting 276 people across the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The investigation began after the FBI received complaints from American victims who lost millions of dollars in so-called pig-butchering schemes, and authorities said the operation used fake online personas, romance-style social engineering, and fraudulent crypto investment platforms to steal funds from victims worldwide. U.S. prosecutors in San Diego unsealed fraud and money laundering charges against alleged operators **Thet Min Nyi**, **Wiliang Awang**, **Andreas Chandra**, and **Lisa Mariam**, along with two fugitive co-conspirators. Investigators said the network operated through **Ko Thet Company**, **Sanduo Group**, and **Giant Company**, luring victims to bogus platforms including `CoinswiftTrading` and `SwiftLedger`, then moving stolen money through cryptocurrency accounts to obstruct recovery. The Justice Department said the action forms part of its broader Scam Center Strike Force campaign against cyber-enabled fraud that reportedly cost Americans **$16 billion** in the prior year.
May 1, 2026
US Crackdown on Southeast Asian Crypto Scam Networks and Prince Group Forfeiture
The U.S. Department of Justice, in collaboration with federal law enforcement and interagency partners, has intensified efforts to combat large-scale cryptocurrency-enabled fraud originating from Southeast Asia. This includes the creation of the Scam Center Strike Force, which targets scam compounds that use forced labor to perpetrate investment fraud, and the designation of groups such as the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and companies like Trans Asia and Troth Star for their roles in these operations. The U.S. government estimates that Americans lost at least $10 billion to such scams in 2024, a significant increase from previous years, and has already seized over $401 million in cryptocurrency assets, with further forfeiture actions underway. A notable case in this crackdown involves the Prince Group, led by Chen Zhi, which operated forced-labor scam compounds in Cambodia. The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against Chen Zhi for wire fraud and money laundering, and filed a civil forfeiture complaint for approximately 127,271 Bitcoin—proceeds from these illicit activities. The Chinese National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) has alleged that the U.S. may have acquired these bitcoins from a 2020 attack on the LuBian bitcoin mining pool, raising geopolitical tensions. The Prince Group action is seen as a landmark in the ongoing U.S. campaign to disrupt the infrastructure behind Southeast Asian pig butchering scams and related cybercrime.
Mar 21, 2026
Southeast Asian “Pig Butchering” Scam Compounds and a US Money-Laundering Sentencing
US authorities sentenced Chinese national **Jingliang Su** to **46 months** in federal prison for laundering proceeds from a Cambodia-based “**pig butchering**” fraud operation that stole **~$36.9M** from **174** US victims, according to reporting on the Justice Department case. Court filings described a three-stage playbook—social engineering outreach via social media/dating/texts, steering victims to **fraudulent crypto investment platforms**, and then blocking withdrawals or demanding additional “fees”—with Su acting as a financial conduit; the court also ordered **~$26.9M** in restitution. Separate reporting detailed the operational reality behind similar “pig butchering” scam centers in the **Golden Triangle** region of **northern Laos**, including the **Boshang compound**, where leaked internal chats and a whistleblower account described industrialized fraud run like a sales organization with quotas and scripted victim engagement. The material also described **forced labor and debt bondage** conditions—confiscated passports, coercion, and violence for rule-breaking or escape attempts—highlighting that many scam operators are themselves trafficking victims compelled to conduct online romance/crypto-investment scams at scale.
Mar 21, 2026