An international operation led by the FBI, dubbed Operation Blackout, targets global scam compounds across Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the UAE, exposing a nexus of crypto fraud, trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime.

DOJ actions include the largest civil forfeiture case in history, seeking to forfeit seized Bitcoin held by the U.S. government.

In April, the DOJ’s Scam Center Strike Force broadened the crackdown by seizing 503 fraudulent investment sites, cutting off Telegram recruitment channels, and restraining more than $700 million in cryptocurrency tied to scam-centered money laundering.

The FBI and the Secret Service’s Operation Level Up has alerted nearly 8,935 potential crypto fraud victims and helped avert about $562.7 million in losses.

Prosecutors in Brooklyn charged Chen Zhi with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, tying a Cambodia-based conglomerate to a large-scale crypto scam operation.

Law enforcement worked with technology partners like Starlink to obtain geolocation data that pinpointed scam terminals in Myanmar, contributing to the shutdown of more than 7,000 terminals.

Related efforts have yielded substantial results, including the liberation of roughly 2,000 trafficked workers, the shutdown of over $8 billion in scam-center fraud, and the arrest of nearly 300 individuals.

The case ties into broader scam networks and criminal activity across Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, with links to the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and alleged organized-crime connections.

U.S. authorities are pursuing forfeiture of 127,271 Bitcoin, valued at about $15 billion, linked to Chen Zhi and a major crypto-forgery operation.