DOJ Strikes Back at Southeast Asian Scam Centers, Seizes 503 Domains and $700M in Crypto

The Department of Justice and partners announced coordinated actions against Southeast Asian scam centers, charging two Chinese nationals for crypto investment fraud in Burma, seizing a Telegram channel used to recruit workers for a Cambodia-based impersonation scam, and taking down over 503 fake investment websites. The Scam Center Strike Force has restrained more than $700 million in cryptocurrency linked to money laundering, with Treasury sanctions on Cambodian operators and State Department rewards tied to the Tai Chang centers. The actions illustrate a broad, interagency effort against cyber-enabled fraud and trafficking, part of an ongoing campaign launched in 2025 to disrupt transnational scam networks and recover funds for victims.