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{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"5bc4cc20-d576-4169-ab53-c291255d8016","kind":"publish","page_slug":"thai-southeast-asia-520m-cross-chain-crypto-scam-network","published_at":"2026-06-26T17:17:08.491Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Thai-Southeast Asia $520M Cross-Chain Crypto Scam Network","sections":[{"content":"In June 2026, Elliptic's Asia-Pacific Intelligence team and the Royal Thai Police's High-Tech Crime Division (HTCD) announced the results of a joint data-sharing and blockchain analysis initiative targeting cryptocurrency-related crime in Thailand and broader Southeast Asia. The collaboration analyzed over 500 reported suspicious cryptoasset wallets linked to individual victim losses of approximately $14 million, predominantly recorded between January 2022 and October 2025. Blockchain tracing extended those reported wallets outward to a wider network of addresses with incoming transactions totaling approximately $520 million (17.8 billion Thai baht). Of that amount, $234 million had already been labeled in Elliptic's existing blockchain intelligence solutions, providing corroboration from prior independent investigations. The analysis identified criminal proceeds distributed across 32 separate blockchains, with more than 400 distinct digital assets involved. The most heavily used networks were Ethereum (ETH), TRON (TRX), and Bitcoin (BTC), with USDT being the most commonly transacted asset alongside native assets ETH and BTC.","heading":"Overview and Scale","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Elliptic works with Royal Thai Police to detect hundreds of millions in cryptoasset crime","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/royal-thai-police-detects-hundreds-of-millions-in-cryptoasset-crime"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Elliptic and Thai police uncover $520M in suspicious crypto transactions spanning 32 blockchains","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptobriefing.com/elliptic-thai-police-520m-suspicious-crypto/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"$520,000,000 in Suspicious Crypto Transactions Involving 32 Blockchains Discovered As Elliptic Exposes Massive Scam Network","type":"news_article","url":"https://dailyhodl.com/2026/06/24/520000000-in-suspicious-crypto-transactions-involving-32-blockchains-discovered-as-elliptic-exposes-massive-scam-network/"}]},{"content":"The network encompasses several distinct categories of cryptocurrency-related crime. The largest component by estimated value is alleged investment and romance fraud, commonly referred to as pig butchering scams, with approximately $200 million in suspected proceeds identified. In pig butchering schemes, operators build prolonged false trust with victims through fake romantic relationships or investment introductions before directing those victims to fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms that simulate legitimate trading activity, ultimately stealing deposited funds. The investigation also uncovered cryptoasset thefts including wallet hacks and credential theft operations, one of which was linked to alleged North Korean state-sponsored actors that allegedly targeted Thai nationals. Professional money laundering services were identified that allegedly processed funds on behalf of third-party criminal clients, including addresses connected to organized criminal compounds in Cambodia and Myanmar. Task scams, also known as fraudulent work-from-home schemes, were also identified within the broader network. Multiple pig butchering sites individually showed losses exceeding $10 million each.","heading":"Criminal Activities Identified","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Elliptic works with Royal Thai Police to detect hundreds of millions in cryptoasset crime","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/royal-thai-police-detects-hundreds-of-millions-in-cryptoasset-crime"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Unmasking Pig Butchering Scams: The $4 Billion Crypto Scheme Preying on Vulnerable Investors","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/unmasking-pig-butchering-scams-the-4-billion-crypto-scheme-preying-on-vulnerable-investors"}]},{"content":"According to Elliptic's published analysis, operators within this network used a combination of layering and obfuscation techniques to launder illicit proceeds. The primary methods included the use of decentralized exchanges (DEXs), cross-chain bridges, and instant swap services that do not typically require know-your-customer (KYC) identity verification, allowing funds to move without creating identifiable account records at regulated intermediaries. Criminals converted niche or stolen tokens into mainstream assets such as ETH and BTC, then executed chain-hopping — moving assets across multiple blockchains in rapid succession — to obscure the provenance of funds. A particular focus was placed on avoiding freezable stablecoins such as USDT, which can be blacklisted by their issuers, by converting out of stablecoins into non-freezable native assets early in the laundering cycle. These patterns are consistent with techniques documented in Elliptic's broader cross-chain crime research, which identified $21.8 billion in illicit cross-chain activity globally as of 2025, compared to $4.1 billion in 2022. The Huione Group, a Cambodia-based financial conglomerate later designated a primary money laundering concern by the U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), was identified as a disrupted threat actor referenced in the broader context of this Southeast Asian network.","heading":"Money Laundering Techniques","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Elliptic works with Royal Thai Police to detect hundreds of millions in cryptoasset crime","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/royal-thai-police-detects-hundreds-of-millions-in-cryptoasset-crime"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Cross-chain crime surges past $21 billion, Elliptic report reveals","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/cross-chain-crime-surges-past-21-billion-elliptic-report-reveals"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN Finds Cambodia-Based Huione Group to be of Primary Money Laundering Concern","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-finds-cambodia-based-huione-group-be-primary-money-laundering-concern"}]},{"content":"Criminal infrastructure underlying this network was identified as physically anchored in scam compound facilities operating out of Myanmar and Cambodia, with additional operational presence documented in Laos, the Philippines, and Dubai. These compounds, which are a well-documented feature of organized Southeast Asian fraud networks, house workers — many of whom are reportedly victims of human trafficking forced to staff fraud operations — who conduct the social engineering required for pig butchering and romance scams. The Royal Thai Police's CCIB previously dismantled a specific pig butchering operation in Thailand through Operation Trust No One (launched 2022), which identified a suspect sentenced to 28 years in prison and targeted approximately a dozen victims in Thailand, the United States, and the United Kingdom, recovering assets valued at approximately 10 billion Thai baht ($277 million). The DOJ's Scam Center Strike Force separately identified the Shunda compound in Min Let Pan, Burma as one active facility during the January–November 2025 period, and charged two Chinese nationals — Huang Xingshan and Jiang Wen Jie — in connection with its operation. Human rights organizations reported that as of June 2026, more than 5,300 people remained held in Myanmar scam centers.","heading":"Geographic Infrastructure and Scam Compounds","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Unmasking a Crypto Scam Network: The Royal Thai Police Crack Down","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/case-studies/unmasking-a-crypto-scam-network-the-royal-thai-police-crack-down"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Scam Center Strike Force Takes Major Actions Against Southeast Asian Scam Centers Targeting Americans","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers-targeting"},{"credibility":2,"name":"More than 5,300 people still held in Myanmar scam centres: rights group","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/23/more-than-5300-people-still-held-in-myanmar-scam-centres-rights-group"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Myanmar Military Arrests Hundreds in Raid on Thai-Border Scam Center","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.occrp.org/en/news/myanmar-military-arrests-hundreds-in-raid-on-thai-border-scam-center"}]},{"content":"Multiple law enforcement agencies and private sector entities have mounted coordinated responses to this network and the broader Southeast Asian crypto fraud ecosystem. The Royal Thai Police's HTCD entered a formal data-sharing partnership with Elliptic, making Thailand one of the first Asian countries to conduct large-scale blockchain analytics collaboration with a major forensics firm. The U.S. Department of Justice launched a dedicated Scam Center Strike Force in November 2025, which by April 2026 had restrained over $700 million in cryptocurrency, seized 503 fraudulent .com domains, taken down a Telegram recruitment channel with over 6,000 followers, and charged Chinese nationals Huang Xingshan and Jiang Wen Jie with wire fraud conspiracy. In a separate but related action in March 2026, the FBI and Thai Royal Police jointly froze approximately $580 million in cryptocurrency, seized approximately 8,000 mobile phones, and arrested 21 suspects as part of a six-month joint task force embedded with Thai authorities. The DOJ separately seized infrastructure used by the Huione Group in June 2026. Meta, Microsoft, and JPMorgan Chase took investigative measures after law enforcement alerts. The Royal Thai Police CCIB previously used TRM Forensics tools to trace and freeze funds in Operation Trust No One, resulting in the sentencing of one principal suspect to 28 years in prison. China separately executed 11 individuals linked to Myanmar scam operations in January 2026 according to Chinese state media.","heading":"Law Enforcement Response","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Scam Center Strike Force Takes Major Actions Against Southeast Asian Scam Centers Targeting Americans","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers-targeting"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI and Thai police freeze $580m in crypto in cross-border fraud raid","type":"news_article","url":"https://crypto.news/fbi-and-thai-police-freeze-580m-in-crypto-in-cross-border-fraud-raid/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Justice Department Seizes Backend Infrastructure Used by the Huione Group for Money Laundering Services","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-seizes-backend-infrastructure-used-huione-group-money-laundering-services"},{"credibility":2,"name":"China executes 11 linked to Myanmar scam operations: State media","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/29/china-executes-11-linked-to-myanmar-scam-operations-state-media"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Unmasking a Crypto Scam Network: The Royal Thai Police Crack Down","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/case-studies/unmasking-a-crypto-scam-network-the-royal-thai-police-crack-down"}]},{"content":"Among the approximately $234 million in activity corroborated by Elliptic's pre-existing blockchain intelligence, at least one theft was attributed to alleged North Korean state-sponsored actors targeting Thai nationals. North Korea-linked groups, particularly Lazarus Group, have been extensively documented by Chainalysis, TRM Labs, and Elliptic as responsible for approximately $2.02 billion in cryptocurrency theft in 2025 alone, representing approximately 12% of global cross-chain illicit activity. North Korean operatives have been observed using Chinese-language money laundering services and cross-chain bridge infrastructure that overlaps with the Southeast Asian criminal ecosystem. The precise amount stolen from Thai nationals by alleged North Korean actors in the Elliptic-HTCD investigation has not been publicly disclosed.","heading":"North Korean State Actor Involvement","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Elliptic works with Royal Thai Police to detect hundreds of millions in cryptoasset crime","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/royal-thai-police-detects-hundreds-of-millions-in-cryptoasset-crime"},{"credibility":2,"name":"North Korea leads global crypto hacks with $2 billion in 2025","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/news/world/40060132"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Cross-chain crime surges past $21 billion, Elliptic report reveals","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/cross-chain-crime-surges-past-21-billion-elliptic-report-reveals"}]},{"content":"The $520 million network identified by Elliptic and the HTCD exists within a documented larger ecosystem of organized cryptocurrency fraud in Southeast Asia. Chainalysis and other on-chain analytics firms have estimated total pig butchering crypto flows at $27.8 billion globally. The DOJ's Scam Center Strike Force has described Southeast Asian scam centers as an industrial-scale criminal infrastructure staffed by an estimated 120,000 or more workers, many of whom were themselves trafficked. The Cambodian-based Huione Group, which processed alleged proceeds from this broader ecosystem and from North Korean cyber heists, reported laundering over $4 billion in illegal funds between August 2021 and January 2025, according to FinCEN. Global enforcement efforts have accelerated in 2026: a separate operation in May 2026 resulted in 276 arrests, shutdown of 9 scam centers, and seizure of $701 million across multiple jurisdictions. Foreign Policy reported in September 2025 that pig butchering scam infrastructure had contributed to geopolitical tensions between Thailand and Cambodia.","heading":"Broader Ecosystem Context","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Following $27.8 Billion: Pig-Butchering Crypto Flows Explained","type":"research","url":"https://www.merklescience.com/blog/following-27-8-billion-pig-butchering-crypto-flows-explained"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN Finds Cambodia-Based Huione Group to be of Primary Money Laundering Concern","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-finds-cambodia-based-huione-group-be-primary-money-laundering-concern"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Global Crackdown Arrests 276, Shuts 9 Crypto Scam Centers, Seizes $701M","type":"news_article","url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/05/global-crackdown-arrests-276-shuts-9.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Pig Butchering Scams May Have Spurred Thailand-Cambodia War","type":"news_article","url":"https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/12/thailand-cambodia-war-pig-butchering-scams/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"U.S. Crackdown on Southeast Asian Crypto Scam Centers","type":"research","url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/asian-scam-centers-crypto-fraud-april-2026/"}]},{"content":"The HTCD-Elliptic investigation documented approximately $14 million in direct, individually reported victim losses across the 500-plus wallets analyzed, spanning January 2022 through October 2025. Victims identified include Thai nationals as well as individuals in the United States and United Kingdom, consistent with the multi-jurisdictional targeting typical of pig butchering operations. The gap between directly reported losses ($14 million) and total suspicious incoming transactions ($520 million) reflects both under-reporting of fraud victimization and the scale of professional money laundering activity conducted through the network on behalf of criminal clients beyond those who directly filed complaints with Thai authorities. The FBI's parallel Operation Level Up, which involved notifying Americans targeted by pig butchering schemes before they completed fund transfers, estimated $562.7 million in victim savings prevented through proactive intervention.","heading":"Victim Profile and Reported Losses","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Elliptic works with Royal Thai Police to detect hundreds of millions in cryptoasset crime","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/royal-thai-police-detects-hundreds-of-millions-in-cryptoasset-crime"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Scam Center Strike Force Takes Major Actions Against Southeast Asian Scam Centers Targeting Americans","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers-targeting"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Elliptic works with Royal Thai Police to detect hundreds of millions in cryptoasset crime","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/royal-thai-police-detects-hundreds-of-millions-in-cryptoasset-crime"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Elliptic and Thai police uncover $520M in suspicious crypto transactions spanning 32 blockchains","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptobriefing.com/elliptic-thai-police-520m-suspicious-crypto/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"$520,000,000 in Suspicious Crypto Transactions Involving 32 Blockchains Discovered As Elliptic Exposes Massive Scam Network","type":"news_article","url":"https://dailyhodl.com/2026/06/24/520000000-in-suspicious-crypto-transactions-involving-32-blockchains-discovered-as-elliptic-exposes-massive-scam-network/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Scam Center Strike Force Takes Major Actions Against Southeast Asian Scam Centers Targeting Americans","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers-targeting"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN Finds Cambodia-Based Huione Group to be of Primary Money Laundering Concern","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-finds-cambodia-based-huione-group-be-primary-money-laundering-concern"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Justice Department Seizes Backend Infrastructure Used by the Huione Group for Money Laundering Services","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-seizes-backend-infrastructure-used-huione-group-money-laundering-services"},{"credibility":2,"name":"FBI and Thai police freeze $580m in crypto in cross-border fraud raid","type":"news_article","url":"https://crypto.news/fbi-and-thai-police-freeze-580m-in-crypto-in-cross-border-fraud-raid/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Unmasking a Crypto Scam Network: The Royal Thai Police Crack Down","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/case-studies/unmasking-a-crypto-scam-network-the-royal-thai-police-crack-down"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Cross-chain crime surges past $21 billion, Elliptic report reveals","type":"research","url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/cross-chain-crime-surges-past-21-billion-elliptic-report-reveals"},{"credibility":2,"name":"U.S. Crackdown on Southeast Asian Crypto Scam Centers","type":"research","url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/asian-scam-centers-crypto-fraud-april-2026/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"More than 5,300 people still held in Myanmar scam centres: rights group","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/23/more-than-5300-people-still-held-in-myanmar-scam-centres-rights-group"},{"credibility":2,"name":"China executes 11 linked to Myanmar scam operations: State media","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/29/china-executes-11-linked-to-myanmar-scam-operations-state-media"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Myanmar Military Arrests Hundreds in Raid on Thai-Border Scam Center","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.occrp.org/en/news/myanmar-military-arrests-hundreds-in-raid-on-thai-border-scam-center"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Global Crackdown Arrests 276, Shuts 9 Crypto Scam Centers, Seizes $701M","type":"news_article","url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/05/global-crackdown-arrests-276-shuts-9.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Pig Butchering Scams May Have Spurred Thailand-Cambodia War","type":"news_article","url":"https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/12/thailand-cambodia-war-pig-butchering-scams/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Following $27.8 Billion: Pig-Butchering Crypto Flows Explained","type":"research","url":"https://www.merklescience.com/blog/following-27-8-billion-pig-butchering-crypto-flows-explained"},{"credibility":2,"name":"North Korea leads global crypto hacks with $2 billion in 2025","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/news/world/40060132"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The 2026 Pig Butchering Reckoning: Inside the Year's Biggest Crypto Scam Crackdowns","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/05/05/2026-pig-butchering-crypto-scam-crackdowns/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Royal Thai Police Arrest Fugitive Chinese National Behind Multi-Million Dollar Crypto Fraud Scheme","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/royal-thai-police-arrest-fugitive-chinese-national-behind-multi-million-dollar-crypto-fraud-scheme"}],"summary":"A sprawling criminal network identified through a joint investigation by blockchain analytics firm Elliptic and Thailand's Royal Thai Police High-Tech Crime Division (HTCD), involving over $520 million in suspicious incoming cryptocurrency transactions traced across 32 blockchains and more than 400 digital assets. The network encompasses pig butchering scams, wallet hacks, credential theft, professional money laundering, and organized criminal compounds operating primarily out of Cambodia and Myanmar. The investigation covered victim wallet data spanning January 2022 through October 2025 and represents one of the largest multi-jurisdictional crypto fraud disclosures in Southeast Asian law enforcement history.","timeline":[{"date":"2022-01-01","event":"Earliest recorded victim wallet activity in the Elliptic-HTCD dataset begins. Royal Thai Police CCIB launches Operation Trust No One targeting a pig butchering network operating across Thailand, Laos, Philippines, Dubai, Cambodia, and Myanmar.","source":"Elliptic / Royal Thai Police press release; TRM Labs case study","source_url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/royal-thai-police-detects-hundreds-of-millions-in-cryptoasset-crime"},{"date":"2022-01-01","event":"Huione Group begins processing pig butchering and cyberheist proceeds per FinCEN analysis (activity documented August 2021 onward, with $4B+ laundered through January 2025).","source":"FinCEN","source_url":"https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-finds-cambodia-based-huione-group-be-primary-money-laundering-concern"},{"date":"2022-07-01","event":"Cross-chain crime estimated at $4.1 billion globally by Elliptic, establishing a baseline against which later surges are measured.","source":"Elliptic cross-chain crime report","source_url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/cross-chain-crime-surges-past-21-billion-elliptic-report-reveals"},{"date":"2023-01-01","event":"A primary suspect in Operation Trust No One is sentenced to 28 years in prison by Thai courts. Approximately $277 million in assets — including luxury cars, homes, and land — are confiscated by Thai authorities.","source":"TRM Labs case study","source_url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/case-studies/unmasking-a-crypto-scam-network-the-royal-thai-police-crack-down"},{"date":"2025-07-01","event":"Elliptic publishes The State of Cross-Chain Crime 2025, documenting that cross-chain criminal activity has reached $21.8 billion globally, a more than fivefold increase from 2022.","source":"Elliptic","source_url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/cross-chain-crime-surges-past-21-billion-elliptic-report-reveals"},{"date":"2025-10-15","event":"Royal Thai Police arrest a Chinese national in Bangkok linked to FINTOCH cryptocurrency investment fraud, which defrauded victims worldwide between 2022 and 2023 and laundered proceeds through TRON and Huione Pay.","source":"TRM Labs blog","source_url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/royal-thai-police-arrest-fugitive-chinese-national-behind-multi-million-dollar-crypto-fraud-scheme"},{"date":"2025-10-29","event":"Last documented month of wallet activity in the primary Elliptic-HTCD dataset.","source":"Elliptic / Royal Thai Police press release","source_url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/royal-thai-police-detects-hundreds-of-millions-in-cryptoasset-crime"},{"date":"2025-11-01","event":"U.S. Attorney Pirro launches the DOJ Scam Center Strike Force, targeting Chinese organized crime syndicates operating in Southeast Asia for cryptocurrency investment fraud, human trafficking, and money laundering.","source":"DOJ","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/scam-center-strike-force"},{"date":"2026-01-29","event":"China executes 11 individuals linked to Myanmar scam operations, according to Chinese state media.","source":"Al Jazeera","source_url":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/29/china-executes-11-linked-to-myanmar-scam-operations-state-media"},{"date":"2026-03-01","event":"Meta, working with global law enforcement including Thai authorities, disrupts major scam networks in Southeast Asia, removing over 150,000 scam-linked profiles.","source":"Meta / Bangkok Post","source_url":"https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3215779/meta-shuts-over150k-scam-profiles"},{"date":"2026-03-20","event":"FBI and Royal Thai Police announce joint freezing of approximately $580 million in cryptocurrency and seizure of approximately 8,000 mobile phones as part of a cross-border fraud crackdown. 21 suspects arrested.","source":"Crypto.news","source_url":"https://crypto.news/fbi-and-thai-police-freeze-580m-in-crypto-in-cross-border-fraud-raid/"},{"date":"2026-04-23","event":"DOJ Scam Center Strike Force unseals criminal complaints against Huang Xingshan and Jiang Wen Jie for wire fraud conspiracy at the Shunda compound, Burma. Over $700 million in cryptocurrency restrained; 503 fraudulent domains seized.","source":"DOJ","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers-targeting"},{"date":"2026-05-01","event":"Global law enforcement operation arrests 276 people, shuts 9 crypto scam centers, and seizes $701 million across multiple jurisdictions.","source":"The Hacker News","source_url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/05/global-crackdown-arrests-276-shuts-9.html"},{"date":"2026-06-18","event":"Elliptic and Royal Thai Police HTCD formally publish results of their joint investigation, disclosing $520 million in suspicious transactions across 32 blockchains and over 400 digital assets from a dataset of 500-plus reported wallets.","source":"Elliptic","source_url":"https://www.elliptic.co/media-center/royal-thai-police-detects-hundreds-of-millions-in-cryptoasset-crime"},{"date":"2026-06-23","event":"DOJ seizes cloud infrastructure used by the Huione Group, a key money laundering service provider for Southeast Asian scam networks and North Korean cyberheist proceeds.","source":"DOJ","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-seizes-backend-infrastructure-used-huione-group-money-laundering-services"},{"date":"2026-06-23","event":"Human rights organizations report that more than 5,300 people remain held against their will in Myanmar scam centers.","source":"Al Jazeera","source_url":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/23/more-than-5300-people-still-held-in-myanmar-scam-centres-rights-group"}]},"v":1}