In a significant move to combat the rising tide of fraud targeting American citizens, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has announced the establishment of a new Scam Center Strike Force. This initiative specifically targets Chinese organized crime syndicates and scam centers in Southeast Asia that have perpetrated fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes on a massive scale.
During a recent news conference in Washington, D.C., Pirro emphasized the alarming scale of the fraud, revealing that Americans were swindled out of more than $9 billion in 2024 alone, with estimates suggesting the actual figure could be as high as $135 billion when accounting for underreported cases. “They prey on older Americans because of their loneliness,” she remarked, outlining the deceptive methods employed by scammers. These criminals often initiate contact with potential victims on social media, luring them into a false sense of security before switching the conversation to encrypted platforms to conduct their schemes.
The operational strategy of this new strike force includes identifying, charging, and bringing leaders of these cryptocurrency scams to justice. Additionally, the initiative aims to trace stolen funds and return them to the defrauded victims, while also moving to seize and shut down the U.S. infrastructure—such as websites—used to perpetrate these scams.
As part of the ongoing efforts, Pirro’s office has successfully seized $400 million to date and has filed actions to reclaim an additional $80 million for victims. The urgency of the situation was further underscored by concurrent actions from the Treasury Department, which announced sanctions against the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), an armed group based in Burma. The group has been linked to cyber scam operations that specifically target American individuals through fraudulent investment schemes.
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley pointed out the broader implications of these criminal networks, which not only engage in financial fraud but are also involved in human trafficking and contributing to the ongoing civil conflict in Burma. “Criminal networks operating out of Burma are stealing billions of dollars from hardworking Americans through online scams,” Hurley stated.
In a collaborative effort to bolster this initiative, major companies such as Meta, Microsoft, and AARP have reached out to lend support to the strike force, aiming to enhance protective measures for American citizens against such malicious scams. With the focus firmly set on dismantling these complex crime syndicates, Pirro has vowed that her office will not stand by while these organizations continue to exploit and harm American citizens.
