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{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"429d07fe-4e73-4fc5-81e7-e6a6448ba222","kind":"publish","page_slug":"fincen-pig-butchering-12-7b-alert-september-2026","published_at":"2026-09-22T12:18:49.985Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"FinCEN Pig Butchering $12.7B Alert (September 2026)","sections":[{"content":"FinCEN issued Alert FIN-2026-Alert005 on September 3, 2026, alongside an accompanying Financial Trend Analysis. The alert directs financial institutions to detect, identify, and report suspicious activity connected to overseas scam center operations and the laundering of associated proceeds. It was issued in furtherance of Executive Order 14390, signed by President Trump on March 6, 2026, titled 'Combatting Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens.' The alert's data set covers BSA reports submitted from September 8, 2023 through December 31, 2025. FinCEN noted explicitly that the $12.7 billion figure reflects activity flagged in suspicious activity reports — not confirmed victim losses — meaning the true scope is almost certainly larger. For SAR filings related to scam center activity, FinCEN instructed financial institutions to include the key term 'FIN-2026-SCAMCENTERS' in SAR field 2.","heading":"Overview of the FinCEN Alert","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN News Release: FinCEN Identifies Nearly $13 Billion Linked to Suspected Digital Asset Scams","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-identifies-nearly-13-billion-linked-suspected-digital-asset-scams"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN Alert FIN-2026-Alert005 (PDF)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/system/files/2026-08/FinCEN-Alert-Scam-Centers.pdf"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CryptoTimes: US Treasury's FinCEN Flags Nearly $13B in Crypto Pig Butchering Scam Activity","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/09/04/us-treasurys-fincen-flags-nearly-13b-in-crypto-pig-butchering-scam-activity/"}]},{"content":"Digital asset investment scams, commonly termed 'pig butchering' (a reference to fattening victims before defrauding them), combine long-duration social engineering with fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platforms. Perpetrators typically assume fake identities posing as romantic partners, business associates, or friends — building trust over weeks or months before directing victims to counterfeit investment websites or mobile applications that mimic legitimate platforms. The scams are operated from industrial-scale compounds, primarily in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and, increasingly, South Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa, the Middle East, and South America. A United Nations report found a workforce of at least 300,000 individuals from 66 countries operating within or adjacent to these compounds, approximately 75% concentrated in the Mekong River region. Many workers are themselves victims of human trafficking — lured with fraudulent job offers and then coerced under threat of violence. According to multiple analyses, scam proceeds in some Southeast Asian countries represent nearly half the nation's GDP.","heading":"Scam Typology and Operations","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN News Release: FIN-2026-Alert005","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-identifies-nearly-13-billion-linked-suspected-digital-asset-scams"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Conversation: Pig butchering scams have stolen billions from people around the world","type":"news_article","url":"https://theconversation.com/pig-butchering-scams-have-stolen-billions-from-people-around-the-world-heres-what-you-need-to-know-252774"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Week: Pig-butchering — Southeast Asia's scam hubs","type":"news_article","url":"https://theweek.com/crime/pig-butchering-scams-china-southeast-asias"}]},{"content":"FinCEN's Financial Trend Analysis identified a layered laundering infrastructure supporting these schemes. Proceeds are predominantly converted into stablecoins — most commonly USDT (Tether) — which are then transferred to foreign digital asset exchanges with limited AML controls. FinCEN noted scammers utilize at least 22 distinct digital assets across laundering chains. The underground economy surrounding these operations includes 'guarantee marketplaces' where scammers purchase illicit services such as account creation, phishing infrastructure, and professional money laundering. Professional launderers establish shell companies and networks of money mules to reintegrate proceeds. Blockchain analysis cited in the alert identified Chinese-language money laundering networks that processed approximately $16.1 billion in cryptocurrency during 2025 — roughly $44 million daily across 1,799 active wallets — representing approximately 20% of identified illicit crypto laundering activity. Key red flags identified for financial institutions include: stablecoin transactions from centralized U.S. exchanges exhibiting on-chain laundering patterns; transactions directed to addresses advertised on messaging platforms near Chinese-language content; customers transacting in stablecoins whose issuers advertise non-cooperation with law enforcement; customers mentioning investment platforms introduced via romance or social media contacts; account activity inconsistent with stated employment or income, particularly for elderly or recently widowed customers; and customers seeking 'recovery services' claiming to retrieve lost cryptocurrency.","heading":"Money Laundering Typologies","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN Alert FIN-2026-Alert005 (PDF)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/system/files/2026-08/FinCEN-Alert-Scam-Centers.pdf"},{"credibility":2,"name":"RiskTemplates: FinCEN's Scam Center Alert — What BSA Officers Need to Do with FIN-2026-Alert005","type":"research","url":"https://risktemplate.com/blog/2026-09-06-fincen-scam-center-alert-pig-butchering-transaction-monitoring-2026/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Indoneo: FinCEN traced $12.7 billion in Southeast Asian scam proceeds through U.S. banks","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.indoneo.com/capital/fincen-12-7-billion-southeast-asia-scam-compounds-usdt/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Analytics Insight: DOJ Seizes US$580M in Crypto Fraud Tied to Pig Butchering Rings","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.analyticsinsight.net/news/doj-seizes-us580m-in-crypto-fraud-tied-to-pig-butchering-rings"}]},{"content":"FinCEN's analysis documented victims across all 50 U.S. states and several territories. The FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Annual Report — published in 2026 — recorded 61,559 investment scam complaints tied to cryptocurrency, with $7.277 billion in reported harm for 2025 alone. Overall cybercrime losses in 2025 neared $21 billion, with investment scams accounting for $8.6 billion (72% cryptocurrency-related). Americans aged 60 and older filed 44,555 digital-asset complaints and reported $4.432 billion in losses — approximately two-fifths of the overall cryptocurrency fraud total. Scam losses reported to the IC3 climbed from $907 million in 2021 to $7.2 billion in 2025. The FBI's Operation Level Up, which directly counters crypto investment scams, reportedly reduced potential losses by more than $500 million since 2024.","heading":"Victim Impact and Demographics","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FBI: Cryptocurrency and AI Scams Bilk Americans of Billions","type":"official","url":"https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/cryptocurrency-and-ai-scams-bilk-americans-of-billions"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ASIS Online: FBI IC3 Report — Half of 2025 U.S. Fraud Losses Were Linked to Cryptocurrency Scams","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2026/april/cryptocurrency-scams/"}]},{"content":"The FinCEN alert is one component of a broader whole-of-government enforcement campaign. In November 2025, the DOJ launched the D.C. Scam Center Strike Force, bringing together the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, the DOJ Criminal Division, the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation. By February 26, 2026, the Strike Force announced it had frozen and seized more than $580 million in cryptocurrency linked to transnational fraud networks operating pig butchering schemes. As of September 9, 2026, the Strike Force had restrained approximately $938 million in total since its November 2025 launch, following a single-day restraint of approximately $52 million tied to the Xinbi Guarantee marketplace. The Strike Force also seized 503 counterfeit cryptocurrency investment websites. Forfeiture proceedings are ongoing in federal court and have not yet been resolved on the merits. Separately, OFAC has conducted multiple rounds of sanctions targeting Southeast Asian scam compounds and affiliated transnational criminal organizations, including the Prince Group TCO and the Karen National Army (KNA), as detailed in the Sanctions section below.","heading":"Coordinated Federal Enforcement Response","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"IRS Criminal Investigation: D.C. Scam Center Strike Force Seizures Top $580 Million","type":"official","url":"https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/dc-scam-center-strike-force-seizures-of-cryptocurrency-from-chinese-transnational-criminals-tops-580-million"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto Briefing: US DOJ Strike Force Seizes $580M in Crypto from Pig Butchering Scams","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptobriefing.com/crypto-asset-seizures-from-pig-butchering-scams/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TRM Labs: The Scam Center Strike Force — A Whole-of-Government Response to Global Crypto Fraud","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/the-scam-center-strike-force-a-whole-of-government-response-to-global-crypto-fraud"}]},{"content":"The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has conducted multiple rounds of designations targeting the individuals and entities operating scam compounds in Southeast Asia. On May 5, 2025, OFAC designated the Karen National Army (KNA) as a transnational criminal organization, along with its leader Saw Chit Thu and his two sons Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit, for facilitating cyber scams, human trafficking, and cross-border smuggling. On September 8, 2025, OFAC sanctioned additional individuals including She Zhijiang, Tin Win, Saw Min Min Oo, Dong Lecheng, Xu Aimin, Chen Al Len, and Su Liangsheng, along with associated entities including Myanmar Yatai International Holding Group Co., Ltd., HH Bank Cambodia plc, and several related holding and investment companies. On June 23, 2026, OFAC sanctioned nine additional individuals and 26 entities tied to the Prince Group TCO — a Cambodia-based criminal enterprise operating scam compounds, online fraud, and money laundering networks. These designations prohibit U.S. persons from transacting with the listed parties and freeze any U.S.-jurisdiction assets. All of these designations are administrative actions; they are not criminal convictions.","heading":"OFAC Sanctions Against Scam Center Networks","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"U.S. Treasury: Treasury Sanctions Southeast Asian Networks Targeting Americans with Cyber Scams","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0237"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TRM Labs: OFAC Sanctions Human Trafficking Network Engaged in Pig Butchering","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/the-scam-center-strike-force-a-whole-of-government-response-to-global-crypto-fraud"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Chainalysis: U.S. Crackdown on Southeast Asian Crypto Scam Centers (April 2026)","type":"research","url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/asian-scam-centers-crypto-fraud-april-2026/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CoinGeek: US Treasury sanctions Cambodian pig butchering kingpin","type":"news_article","url":"https://coingeek.com/us-treasury-sanctions-cambodian-pig-butchering-kingpin/"}]},{"content":"Alert FIN-2026-Alert005 imposes specific expectations on U.S. financial institutions operating under Bank Secrecy Act obligations. Institutions are directed to file Suspicious Activity Reports referencing the keyword 'FIN-2026-SCAMCENTERS' in SAR field 2 when reporting activity tied to scam center operations. FinCEN also encouraged voluntary information sharing between institutions under Section 314(b) of the USA PATRIOT Act, which provides liability protection for good-faith disclosures. The alert specifically calls attention to stablecoin transaction monitoring, noting that rapid tracing and fund freezing is possible where institutions act promptly on suspicious stablecoin outflows. FinCEN operates a Rapid Response Program to coordinate intelligence sharing with foreign financial intelligence units and supports international cooperation for fund repatriation. Victims are directed to report to their financial institution immediately and to file complaints with the FBI's IC3 or the U.S. Secret Service.","heading":"Financial Institution Compliance Requirements","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN Alert FIN-2026-Alert005 (PDF)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/system/files/2026-08/FinCEN-Alert-Scam-Centers.pdf"},{"credibility":2,"name":"National Law Review: FinCEN's $13 Billion Scam Center Alert — What Banks Need to Know","type":"research","url":"https://natlawreview.com/article/fincens-13-billion-scam-center-alert-what-banks-need-know-about-fastest-growing"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Mondaq: FinCEN Sounds the Alarm on Digital Asset Investment Scam Centers","type":"research","url":"https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/financial-services/1841074/fincen-sounds-the-alarm-on-digital-asset-investment-scam-centers-what-financial-institutions-need-to-know"}]},{"content":"The $12.7 billion figure is explicitly described by FinCEN as the sum of activity documented in BSA suspicious activity reports — not confirmed victim losses and not the full scope of the schemes. Because many victims do not report, and because not all suspicious activity is detected or reported by financial institutions, independent researchers and law enforcement officials have consistently stated that actual losses exceed reported figures. The FBI's IC3, for instance, documented $7.2 billion in reported U.S. victim losses from digital asset investment scams in 2025 alone; U.S. officials have cited a figure of approximately $10 billion in annual losses from Southeast Asia-based operations. FinCEN's figure of $12.7 billion spans a 27-month period from September 2023 to December 2025 and covers only activity that flowed through the U.S. financial system. Global losses from pig butchering operations are substantially higher.","heading":"Scope Caveats and Limitations","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN News Release: FIN-2026-Alert005","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-identifies-nearly-13-billion-linked-suspected-digital-asset-scams"},{"credibility":1,"name":"IRS Criminal Investigation: D.C. Scam Center Strike Force Seizures","type":"official","url":"https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/dc-scam-center-strike-force-seizures-of-cryptocurrency-from-chinese-transnational-criminals-tops-580-million"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN News Release: FIN-2026-Alert005","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-identifies-nearly-13-billion-linked-suspected-digital-asset-scams"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN Alert FIN-2026-Alert005 (PDF)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/system/files/2026-08/FinCEN-Alert-Scam-Centers.pdf"},{"credibility":1,"name":"IRS Criminal Investigation: D.C. Scam Center Strike Force Seizures Top $580 Million","type":"official","url":"https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/dc-scam-center-strike-force-seizures-of-cryptocurrency-from-chinese-transnational-criminals-tops-580-million"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report","type":"official","url":"https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FBI: Cryptocurrency and AI Scams Bilk Americans of Billions","type":"official","url":"https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/cryptocurrency-and-ai-scams-bilk-americans-of-billions"},{"credibility":1,"name":"U.S. Treasury OFAC: Treasury Sanctions Southeast Asian Networks","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0237"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CryptoTimes: US Treasury's FinCEN Flags Nearly $13B in Crypto Pig Butchering Scam Activity","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/09/04/us-treasurys-fincen-flags-nearly-13b-in-crypto-pig-butchering-scam-activity/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Analytics Insight: DOJ Seizes US$580M in Crypto Fraud Tied to Pig Butchering Rings","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.analyticsinsight.net/news/doj-seizes-us580m-in-crypto-fraud-tied-to-pig-butchering-rings"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Chainalysis: U.S. Crackdown on Southeast Asian Crypto Scam Centers (April 2026)","type":"research","url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/asian-scam-centers-crypto-fraud-april-2026/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Chainalysis: OFAC Targets Pig Butchering Scams (November 2025)","type":"research","url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/ofac-targets-pig-butchering-scams-november-2025/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"TRM Labs: The Scam Center Strike Force — A Whole-of-Government Response","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/the-scam-center-strike-force-a-whole-of-government-response-to-global-crypto-fraud"},{"credibility":2,"name":"National Law Review: FinCEN's $13 Billion Scam Center Alert","type":"research","url":"https://natlawreview.com/article/fincens-13-billion-scam-center-alert-what-banks-need-know-about-fastest-growing"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Mondaq: FinCEN Sounds the Alarm on Digital Asset Investment Scam Centers","type":"research","url":"https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/financial-services/1841074/fincen-sounds-the-alarm-on-digital-asset-investment-scam-centers-what-financial-institutions-need-to-know"},{"credibility":2,"name":"RiskTemplates: FinCEN Scam Center Alert — What BSA Officers Need to Do with FIN-2026-Alert005","type":"research","url":"https://risktemplate.com/blog/2026-09-06-fincen-scam-center-alert-pig-butchering-transaction-monitoring-2026/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crowdfund Insider: FinCEN Links $12.7B in Reports to International Crypto Asset Fraud","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2026/09/305923-fincen-links-12-7b-in-reports-to-international-crypto-asset-fraud/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Sanctions Expert: Last Week's Major Developments in Sanctions (Aug 31 – Sep 4, 2026)","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.sanctionsexpert.com/post/last-week-s-major-developments-in-sanctions-august-31-to-september-4-2026"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Crypto Briefing: US DOJ Strike Force Seizes $580M in Crypto from Pig Butchering Scams","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptobriefing.com/crypto-asset-seizures-from-pig-butchering-scams/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"ScamWatchHQ: FinCEN's $12.7 Billion Warning — Banks Told to Flag Pig-Butchering Red Flags","type":"news_article","url":"https://scamwatchhq.com/fincens-12-7-billion-warning-banks-flag-pig-butchering-red/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"CoinGeek: US Treasury sanctions Cambodian pig butchering kingpin","type":"news_article","url":"https://coingeek.com/us-treasury-sanctions-cambodian-pig-butchering-kingpin/"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Wikipedia: Pig butchering scam","type":"other","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_butchering_scam"}],"summary":"On September 3, 2026, the U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued Alert FIN-2026-Alert005, identifying approximately $12.7 billion in suspected digital asset investment scam activity documented across 33,904 Bank Secrecy Act reports filed between September 2023 and December 2025. The alert — issued under Executive Order 14390 — describes transnational criminal organizations operating industrial-scale scam compounds primarily in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, targeting victims across all 50 U.S. states. The underlying schemes — commonly called 'pig butchering,' 'romance baiting,' or 'cryptocurrency confidence schemes' — rely on social engineering followed by fraudulent investment platforms, with proceeds predominantly laundered via stablecoins, particularly USDT.","timeline":[{"date":"2021-01-01","event":"FBI IC3 records $907 million in U.S. victim losses from digital asset investment scams — the earliest year of rapid escalation in reported pig butchering losses.","source":"FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report","source_url":"https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf"},{"date":"2025-05-05","event":"OFAC designates the Karen National Army (KNA) as a transnational criminal organization and sanctions KNA leader Saw Chit Thu and his two sons for facilitating cyber scams, human trafficking, and smuggling from Myanmar-based scam compounds.","source":"U.S. Treasury — OFAC press release","source_url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0237"},{"date":"2025-09-08","event":"OFAC sanctions nine additional individuals and multiple entities associated with pig butchering scam compounds in Myanmar and Cambodia, including Myanmar Yatai International Holding Group and HH Bank Cambodia.","source":"U.S. Treasury — OFAC press release","source_url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0237"},{"date":"2025-10-14","event":"U.S. and UK impose coordinated sanctions on the Prince Group, a Cambodia-based transnational criminal organization. At the time of designation, the U.S. estimates Americans had lost $16.6 billion to online investment scams, with at least $10 billion linked to Southeast Asia-based operations in 2024 — a 66% increase year-over-year.","source":"Chainalysis blog — OFAC Targets Pig Butchering Scams (November 2025)","source_url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/ofac-targets-pig-butchering-scams-november-2025/"},{"date":"2025-11-01","event":"DOJ launches the D.C. Scam Center Strike Force, bringing together the U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C., DOJ Criminal Division, FBI, U.S. Secret Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation to target the financial infrastructure of pig butchering networks.","source":"IRS Criminal Investigation announcement","source_url":"https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/dc-scam-center-strike-force-seizures-of-cryptocurrency-from-chinese-transnational-criminals-tops-580-million"},{"date":"2026-02-26","event":"The D.C. Scam Center Strike Force announces seizure of more than $580 million in cryptocurrency linked to Chinese transnational criminal organizations operating pig butchering schemes, along with seizure of 503 counterfeit investment websites. Forfeiture proceedings are ongoing.","source":"IRS Criminal Investigation","source_url":"https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/dc-scam-center-strike-force-seizures-of-cryptocurrency-from-chinese-transnational-criminals-tops-580-million"},{"date":"2026-03-06","event":"President Trump signs Executive Order 14390, 'Combatting Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens,' establishing the policy framework under which the September 2026 FinCEN alert is subsequently issued.","source":"FinCEN Alert FIN-2026-Alert005","source_url":"https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-identifies-nearly-13-billion-linked-suspected-digital-asset-scams"},{"date":"2026-04-23","event":"DOJ Scam Center Strike Force, OFAC, and Department of State announce a coordinated multi-pronged enforcement action targeting the entire lifecycle of Southeast Asian scam center operations.","source":"Chainalysis: U.S. Crackdown on Southeast Asian Crypto Scam Centers","source_url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/asian-scam-centers-crypto-fraud-april-2026/"},{"date":"2026-06-23","event":"OFAC sanctions nine additional individuals and 26 entities tied to the Prince Group TCO, expanding designations to further individuals operating Cambodia-based scam compounds and money laundering networks.","source":"Sanctions Expert: Last Week's Major Developments in Sanctions (Aug 31 – Sep 4, 2026)","source_url":"https://www.sanctionsexpert.com/post/last-week-s-major-developments-in-sanctions-august-31-to-september-4-2026"},{"date":"2026-09-03","event":"FinCEN issues Alert FIN-2026-Alert005 alongside a Financial Trend Analysis, identifying $12.7 billion in suspected digital asset investment scam activity across 33,904 BSA reports (September 2023 – December 2025), covering victims in all 50 U.S. states and several territories.","source":"FinCEN official press release","source_url":"https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-identifies-nearly-13-billion-linked-suspected-digital-asset-scams"},{"date":"2026-09-09","event":"Federal authorities restrain approximately $52 million in cryptocurrency linked to the Xinbi Guarantee marketplace in a single day, bringing the Strike Force's total restraint since November 2025 to approximately $938 million.","source":"ScamWatchHQ — FinCEN's $12.7 Billion Warning","source_url":"https://scamwatchhq.com/fincens-12-7-billion-warning-banks-flag-pig-butchering-red/"}]},"v":1}