US, UK launch joint alliance targeting crypto scam centers

The United States Department of Justice and the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency signed a memorandum of understanding targeting scam centers involved in cryptocurrency and cyber-enabled investment fraud. On Thursday, officials from the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, England and Wales' Crown Prosecution Service, and the UK's National Crime Agency finalized this first-of-its-kind international cooperation. Under the pact, the agencies will conduct parallel investigations into common targets, share information on organized crime syndicates, and discuss prosecution jurisdictions. Authorities plan an in-person disruption operation with private-sector partners in London in early October. This cross-border effort expands the Scam Center Strike Force, which US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro launched in November 2025. The initiative focuses on Chinese organized crime networks operating primarily in Southeast Asia, whose schemes include crypto investment fraud often linked to human trafficking. Reported losses from crypto investment fraud continue to climb; figures reported to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center rose 89% from $4.57 billion in 2023 to $8.65 billion in 2025.