US and UK Form Alliance to Combat Global Crypto Scam Centers

The United States and the United Kingdom have established a new alliance aimed at dismantling global scam centers that exploit cryptocurrencies and cyber-enabled investment fraud. This initiative comes through a recently signed memorandum of understanding that facilitates collaboration between US and UK prosecutors and investigators.

Key agencies involved include the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, England and Wales’ Crown Prosecution Service, and the UK’s National Crime Agency. The agreement is designed to enable parallel investigations, share information on organized crime targets, and coordinate prosecution strategies.

Officials have indicated that this collaborative effort will focus on transnational organized crime networks, particularly those linked to Chinese organized crime and human trafficking. An in-person disruption event is scheduled with private-sector partners in London in early October.

This partnership marks a significant development for the US Scam Center Strike Force, which was initiated in November 2025 to address issues such as crypto investment scams, cyber fraud, money laundering, and human trafficking associated with scam centers, especially in Southeast Asia.

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), reported losses from crypto investment fraud soared to $8.65 billion in 2025, reflecting an 89% increase from the previous year. Authorities believe that the actual losses could be much higher, as many victims do not report scams.

New Developments in US-UK Alliance Against Crypto Scams

On Thursday, US and UK law enforcement agencies signed a groundbreaking memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at dismantling overseas crypto and cyber scam operations that are costing Americans approximately $10 billion annually.

The MoU involves the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales, and the National Crime Agency, which is the UK's primary body for tackling serious organized crime.

This collaboration will enable the agencies to conduct parallel investigations into shared targets, exchange intelligence on organized crime syndicates, and determine jurisdiction for prosecution.

US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro emphasized the partnership as a wartime alliance against transnational crime, specifically targeting Chinese transnational organized crime networks involved in these scams.

In related efforts, the National Crime Agency plans to host an in-person disruption operation in London with private industry partners in early October.

Since the launch of the Scam Center Strike Force in November 2025, authorities have made significant strides, including the restraint of over $700 million in crypto linked to scams and an additional seizure of $25 million in July related to global fraud networks.

Reported losses from cyber-enabled investment fraud reached $8.65 billion in 2025, marking an 89% increase from $4.57 billion in 2023, with cyber-enabled fraud accounting for nearly 85% of all losses reported to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) last year.