FBI, UAE close 9 crypto scam hubs; 276 arrested, $701M seized

FBI and United Arab Emirates authorities closed nine crypto scam centers, arrested 276 suspects, seized more than $701 million in cryptocurrency and freed thousands of trafficked workers in an international enforcement operation targeting romance-based investment fraud. Authorities identified nearly 9,000 victims linked to similar schemes.

Dubai Police, operating under the UAE Ministry of Interior, led the crackdown with cooperation from the FBI and Chinese authorities. Arrests took place in Dubai and Thailand. FBI Director Kash Patel credited the agency’s San Diego division with coordinating U.S. cooperation in the case.

Federal prosecutors in the United States have filed charges that include wire fraud and money laundering against multiple suspects. Law enforcement reported seizure of assets tied to the schemes, including the crypto holdings valued at more than $701 million.

Investigators described the scams as a form of “pig butchering” or romance baiting, in which fraudsters build trust with victims over weeks or months using fake online profiles before pushing them onto fraudulent crypto platforms that display fabricated gains. The networks also recruited foreign workers with promises of legal, well-paid jobs; many recruits were allegedly coerced at gunpoint to staff scam floors.

Officials said most of those arrested were nationals of Burma and Indonesia. The enforcement action also shut a Telegram recruitment channel with more than 6,500 subscribers that reportedly funneled people to a Cambodia-based fraud center connected to 503 fake investment websites.

The operation grew from Operation Level Up, launched in January 2024 to warn potential victims and recover funds. By April 2026, the initiative had been credited with preventing roughly $562 million in potential losses.

Federal indictments name several alleged organizers and recruiters. Charged defendants include Thet Min Nyi, 27, accused of managing and recruiting for Ko Thet Company; Wiliang Awang, 23; Andreas Chandra, 29; and Lisa Mariam, 29, among others linked to Ko Thet Company, Sanduo Group and Giant Company. Separate indictments target Jiang Wen Jie (also known as Jiang Nan) and Huang Xingshan (also known as Ah Zhe or Huang Xing Saan) for operating the Shunda scam center in Min Let Pan, Myanmar; authorities say those two were arrested in 2026 while traveling from Cambodia to Thailand.

Technology firms provided data that helped map the networks. Meta reported supplying information used by investigators and removing large volumes of fraudulent content in 2025, including more than 159 million scam ads and 10.9 million accounts. In the recent actions, Meta disabled about 150,000 additional accounts tied to the networks. Chris Sonderby, Meta’s vice president and deputy general counsel, said the company has rolled out warnings about fake friend requests, measures to block unauthorized access to WhatsApp accounts and tools to identify common scam features in Messenger.

The U.S. Treasury recently imposed sanctions on Cambodian Senator Kok An and associates linked to the K99 Group, which authorities allege ran fraud and money-laundering centers. Cambodia’s legislature has adopted a law imposing prison terms of five to ten years and fines up to $250,000 for those involved in comparable criminal operations.

Law enforcement described the probe as multinational and said more arrests and asset seizures remain possible as investigators trace financial flows and identify additional victims.