- Joined
- Jan 20, 2026
- Messages
- 345
- Reaction score
- 2,225
8 billion crypts, 275 detained and 7000 offlocked Starlink terminals.
The FBI announced the largest seizure of cryptocurrency in the history of the American authorities. As part of an international operation against fraudulent centers and related criminal groups, the agency arrested hundreds of suspects and blocked assets worth more than $8 billion.
The main episode is associated with 127 thousand bitcoins, which were seized in the case of Chen Kyi, the head of the Cambodian Prince Holding Group. According to the American authorities, the value of the cryptocurrency exceeds $ 8 billion, and at the time of the withdrawal could reach more than $ 15 billion. Chen Kyi has been charged with electronic electronic communications fraud and conspiracy to laundering.
The investigation has affected protected fraudulent complexes where people are forced to participate in online scams. Fraudulent sites worked in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and among the main goals were U.S. citizens. According to the FBI, one American lost up to $ 3 million after online fraud.
Special attention was paid to the grouping of Democratic Karen Benevolent Army. This is an armed formation from the region in Myanmar, which the American authorities associate with Chinese organized crime. The US Treasury has already imposed sanctions against the structure for major fraudulent operations, and the government recognized it as a transnational criminal organization.
The FBI emphasizes that such centers cannot be perceived as ordinary call centers. We are talking about organized criminal enterprises, where at the same time the money is stolen from victims, launder funds and use forced labor. In some cases, people were lured with promises of good wages and working visas, and then forced to engage in fraud under the threat of beatings and torture.
In Thailand, thousands of smartphones and office equipment were seized during the operation. In Dubai, local police, along with the FBI, detained 275 people, six of them should be extradited to the United States to bring federal charges. According to the investigation, each of the nine complexes tested there received about $ 6 million of fraudulent income per year.
Prince Holding Group is accused of managing similar protected sites in different countries. The authorities believe that such structures were part of a wider network related to organized crime and online fraud. The FBI calls the fight against such groups one of the priorities of the last year.
The operation was collectively called Blackout and included several separate investigations. Operation Zephyr Exodus was associated with Prince Holding Group. Operation Sand Dollar concerned fraudulent centers in the United Arab Emirates, which, according to the investigation, attacked the Americans. Operation Haochen was directed against the Tai Chang complex in Chiahuta in Myanmar, in the territory controlled by DKBA. In this direction, the FBI seized $ 30 million related to the Tai Chang and other fraudulent sites.
Another direction, the Shunda Compound Takedown, was conducted in conjunction with Thai partners. The investigation led to the detention of two people in Thailand and the seizure of a Telegram channel, through which people were recruited for forced labor in a fraudulent scheme with the extradition of themselves for law enforcement officers of Cambodia.
The FBI collaborated with StarlinkStarlink. The agency handed over geolocation data to the company to identify the terminals that the scammers used. This allowed the withdrawal of more than 7000 terminals in Myanmar.
The impetus for the operation was the complaints received by the Information Security Appeals Center for Internet Crimes in 2025. During the year, IC3 received almost 72 thousand appeals related to investment fraud in cryptocurrencies. The total damage on these statements exceeded $ 7.5 billion. The FBI believes that the real losses are much higher, because many victims do not appeal to the authorities.
According to the Institute of Peace of the United States, criminal syndicates annually steal about $ 64 billion. Such schemes often combine cryptocurrency investment scams, romantic fraud, extortion and exploitation of people who are deceived or forced into criminal centers.
The FBI also launched the Operation Level Up initiative. As part of this program, the agency identifies people who have already fallen into the cryptocurrency investment scheme, and warns them to new transfers. The FBI notified 8,935 victims, with 77 percent of them unaware that they were involved in a fraudulent operation. According to the agency, such warnings have already helped prevent losses of $ 562 million.
The FBI announced the largest seizure of cryptocurrency in the history of the American authorities. As part of an international operation against fraudulent centers and related criminal groups, the agency arrested hundreds of suspects and blocked assets worth more than $8 billion.
The main episode is associated with 127 thousand bitcoins, which were seized in the case of Chen Kyi, the head of the Cambodian Prince Holding Group. According to the American authorities, the value of the cryptocurrency exceeds $ 8 billion, and at the time of the withdrawal could reach more than $ 15 billion. Chen Kyi has been charged with electronic electronic communications fraud and conspiracy to laundering.
The investigation has affected protected fraudulent complexes where people are forced to participate in online scams. Fraudulent sites worked in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and among the main goals were U.S. citizens. According to the FBI, one American lost up to $ 3 million after online fraud.
Special attention was paid to the grouping of Democratic Karen Benevolent Army. This is an armed formation from the region in Myanmar, which the American authorities associate with Chinese organized crime. The US Treasury has already imposed sanctions against the structure for major fraudulent operations, and the government recognized it as a transnational criminal organization.
The FBI emphasizes that such centers cannot be perceived as ordinary call centers. We are talking about organized criminal enterprises, where at the same time the money is stolen from victims, launder funds and use forced labor. In some cases, people were lured with promises of good wages and working visas, and then forced to engage in fraud under the threat of beatings and torture.
In Thailand, thousands of smartphones and office equipment were seized during the operation. In Dubai, local police, along with the FBI, detained 275 people, six of them should be extradited to the United States to bring federal charges. According to the investigation, each of the nine complexes tested there received about $ 6 million of fraudulent income per year.
Prince Holding Group is accused of managing similar protected sites in different countries. The authorities believe that such structures were part of a wider network related to organized crime and online fraud. The FBI calls the fight against such groups one of the priorities of the last year.
The operation was collectively called Blackout and included several separate investigations. Operation Zephyr Exodus was associated with Prince Holding Group. Operation Sand Dollar concerned fraudulent centers in the United Arab Emirates, which, according to the investigation, attacked the Americans. Operation Haochen was directed against the Tai Chang complex in Chiahuta in Myanmar, in the territory controlled by DKBA. In this direction, the FBI seized $ 30 million related to the Tai Chang and other fraudulent sites.
Another direction, the Shunda Compound Takedown, was conducted in conjunction with Thai partners. The investigation led to the detention of two people in Thailand and the seizure of a Telegram channel, through which people were recruited for forced labor in a fraudulent scheme with the extradition of themselves for law enforcement officers of Cambodia.
The FBI collaborated with StarlinkStarlink. The agency handed over geolocation data to the company to identify the terminals that the scammers used. This allowed the withdrawal of more than 7000 terminals in Myanmar.
The impetus for the operation was the complaints received by the Information Security Appeals Center for Internet Crimes in 2025. During the year, IC3 received almost 72 thousand appeals related to investment fraud in cryptocurrencies. The total damage on these statements exceeded $ 7.5 billion. The FBI believes that the real losses are much higher, because many victims do not appeal to the authorities.
According to the Institute of Peace of the United States, criminal syndicates annually steal about $ 64 billion. Such schemes often combine cryptocurrency investment scams, romantic fraud, extortion and exploitation of people who are deceived or forced into criminal centers.
The FBI also launched the Operation Level Up initiative. As part of this program, the agency identifies people who have already fallen into the cryptocurrency investment scheme, and warns them to new transfers. The FBI notified 8,935 victims, with 77 percent of them unaware that they were involved in a fraudulent operation. According to the agency, such warnings have already helped prevent losses of $ 562 million.
