US Expands Crackdown on China-Linked Criminal Networks, Charges Six Suspects in Africa

Pirro said the Justice Department was expanding the personnel and geographic reach of its Scam Center Strike Force to pursue criminal organizations operating across international borders.

She pledged that investigators would “follow the scammers to Africa, India, Europe,” as the department increased cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies.

The movement of criminal networks into Africa reflects a broader effort by organized crime syndicates to preserve their operations despite enforcement actions in Southeast Asia.

In September, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Xinbi Guarantee, a Chinese-language online marketplace accused of providing money laundering services, fraudulent investment websites, and other infrastructure used by scam organizations.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that “Scam centers in Southeast Asia steal billions of dollars from American victims each year.”

According to the department, Xinbi Guarantee has processed more than $24 billion in digital assets and traditional currency since approximately 2022, providing services to criminal networks primarily operating in Southeast Asia.

Fraudulent investment schemes target Americans

The latest charges concern a fraudulent non-fungible token (NFT) investment operation allegedly directed by Chui Kok Wa, who faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Investigators say members of the organization impersonated attractive young women on dating websites and social media platforms, establishing relationships with American victims before persuading them to connect cryptocurrency wallets to fraudulent investment websites.

Once victims connected their wallets, the scammers encouraged them to deposit additional funds while secretly transferring cryptocurrency into accounts controlled by the criminal network.

According to the Justice Department’s investigation, the FBI identified approximately 74 cryptocurrency wallets associated with victims who suffered financial losses. Investigators traced stolen funds to accounts connected with individuals based in China.

Evidence recovered from Chui’s phones provided investigators with a detailed account of the operation’s internal structure.

Authorities discovered employment contracts, payroll records, disciplinary documents, employee passport information, and scripts designed to manipulate potential victims.

One document instructed workers that they were conducting “an emotional scam, using the [victim’s] feelings for us to get him to invest.”

The organization reportedly scheduled employees to work overnight in Madagascar, corresponding with daytime and evening hours in the United States. Workers received salaries and additional bonuses based on the amount of money they successfully obtained from victims.

The operation illustrates how transnational scam compounds have developed structured business models designed to maximize financial returns.

During a September enforcement announcement, FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter warned that “Scam centers are not just criminal enterprises,” describing the devastating financial and emotional consequences for victims and their families.

FBI raids 13 compounds as suspects are returned to China

In August, FBI investigators traveled to Madagascar at the invitation of the country’s Ministry of Justice and national police to assist with operations targeting suspected scam compounds.

The investigation resulted in the dismantling of 13 compounds and the seizure of more than 3,200 electronic devices, including computers, phones, and other equipment used in fraudulent activities.

However, the Justice Department reported that its investigation encountered significant obstacles after Malagasy authorities returned numerous suspects to China before American investigators could complete their questioning.

Pirro called on Madagascar’s government to cooperate with U.S. authorities and extradite the six individuals facing charges.

American prosecutors also obtained a material witness warrant seeking interviews with 15 employees who claimed they had been trafficked and abused by Chui. Those individuals are believed to remain in detention in Madagascar.

The difficulties highlight the challenges of pursuing criminal organizations that operate across multiple jurisdictions.

During the Justice Department’s September announcement, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman of Alaska emphasized that “Transnational criminal organizations don’t care about borders, and the Department of Justice won’t either.”

International cooperation has nevertheless produced significant results.

Earlier this month, a separate multinational operation coordinated by Britain’s National Crime Agency led to 28 arrests in Ghana and Nigeria and the identification of 117 trafficking victims.

The operation also resulted in the removal of approximately 3.7 million fraudulent social media accounts, pages, and groups.

“Fraudsters can operate from anywhere and will target victims both domestically and globally,” said Nick Sharp, the agency’s deputy director of fraud, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in combating organized cybercrime.

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More than $1 billion in cryptocurrency restrained as tech companies join crackdown

The Justice Department said its Scam Center Strike Force has restrained approximately $1.006 billion in cryptocurrency linked to fraudulent activities since its establishment in November 2025.

Authorities have also seized 700 fraudulent cryptocurrency investment websites and confiscated Starlink satellite internet terminals used by criminal organizations. Thousands of terminals associated with scam operations have been deactivated.

The agency has additionally targeted online infrastructure supporting the criminal networks, including Telegram channels used to recruit trafficking victims and facilitate money laundering.

Meta reported that approximately 17.3 million scam accounts had been removed from its platforms over the past year, according to the Justice Department.

The crackdown has increasingly involved cooperation between law enforcement agencies and major technology companies.

In an Oct. 13 announcement, Meta described a coordinated operation involving companies including Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, Coinbase, and Starlink.

“This operation shows what partnership makes possible,” said Chris Sonderby, Meta’s vice president and deputy general counsel, emphasizing continued cooperation with law enforcement agencies.

The Justice Department also announced two additional international cybercrime investigations on Oct. 27.

In South Africa, authorities charged suspected extortionist Ifeel Simango, who allegedly targeted at least 54 victims using intimate images. In Nigeria, investigators working with Microsoft arrested three suspects connected to RaccoonO365, a phishing toolkit used to steal Microsoft account credentials.

According to prosecutors, the phishing operation compromised at least 5,000 login credentials across 94 countries and disrupted critical medical services in the United States.

Pirro also announced that OpenAI had committed to supporting the Scam Center Strike Force in its efforts to combat international fraud.

Jack Stubbs, OpenAI’s lead scams investigator, previously discussed the company’s role in international anti-fraud efforts.

“At OpenAI, we’re using AI to disrupt scam operations and help people spot scams,” Stubbs said in Meta’s Oct. 13 announcement.

The expanding investigations come amid mounting financial losses from cyber-enabled fraud.

According to the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report, Americans reported more than $11 billion in losses associated with cryptocurrency-related complaints last year.

The Justice Department said its continuing efforts will focus on dismantling overseas criminal networks, recovering stolen assets, and preventing additional Americans from becoming victims of increasingly sophisticated online scams.