Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Wednesday announced a new Scam Center Strike Force targeting Chinese crime syndicates and Southeast Asian scam centers behind fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes.
Pirro stated at a news conference that these operations stole more than $9 billion from Americans in 2024, although experts believe the actual total may be up to 15 times higher due to underreporting.
“They prey on older Americans because of their loneliness,” Pirro said, explaining that scammers first make contact on social media, build trust, and then shift conversations to encrypted apps. She added that these crime groups eventually steer victims from legitimate crypto sites to fake platforms that the scammers control.
“My office will not stand by as these Chinese organized crime enterprises empty out the bank accounts of hardworking Americans. Many, of course, left without the ability to go back into the workforce,” Pirro said.
The strike force aims to identify and charge leaders of crypto scam rings, trace and return stolen funds, and shut down U.S.-based infrastructure used in the schemes. Pirro said it has already seized $400 million and is moving to seize another $80 million for victim restitution.
The Treasury Department also announced sanctions against Burma’s Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and four of its leaders for supporting scam centers that target Americans with investment fraud. Officials additionally identified three entities — Trans Asia International Holding Group Thailand Co., Troth Star Co., and Thai national Chamu Sawang — as past DKBA partners tied to Chinese organized crime.
“Criminal networks operating out of Burma are stealing billions of dollars from hardworking Americans through online scams,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley. “These same networks traffic human beings and help fuel Burma’s brutal civil war.”
Pirro revealed that companies such as Meta, Microsoft, and AARP have reached out to collaborate with the strike force to help protect Americans from the Chinese-led scams.
In 2024 alone, Americans were scammed out of more than $9 billion in cryptocurrency.
Today, my office announced the Scam Center Strike Force — a dedicated team that will relentlessly pursue the fraudsters, many backed by Chinese organized crime, to crack down on and dismantle… pic.twitter.com/ThQtzYDx9M
— Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) November 12, 2025
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