US Seized Crypto Assets Worth $580 Million from Chinese Transnational Criminals

The US government has announced a major success in combating cryptocurrency scams: the Scam Center Strike Force has seized and frozen crypto assets worth over $580 million linked to Chinese transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). These funds were stolen through cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes known as "pig butchering" or CIF scams.

According to the US Department of Justice, the Strike Force, established in November 2025 under the leadership of US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Ferris Pirro, achieved this result in just three months. The organizations involved operate from "scam farms" in Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, where victims often become targets of human trafficking, abuse, and forced labor. Scammers build trust with victims through social media, messengers, and the internet, convincing them to invest in fake crypto platforms, leading to the loss of savings.

These schemes defraud Americans of nearly $10 billion annually, with revenues amounting to almost half the GDP of some countries in the region. Attorney Pirro emphasized:

"We have made significant progress by freezing, seizing, and forfeiting cryptocurrency worth over $580 million from these criminals."

The funds are planned to be returned to victims after the forfeiture judicial process.

The Strike Force involves the FBI, US Secret Service, IRS, and other Department of Justice units. Experts note that such actions strengthen cryptocurrency market regulation and protect investors from transnational threats. According to sources, the networks are linked to Chinese organized crime, which has decentralized operations across multiple countries.

Victims are advised to report scams to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov). This case highlights the growing role of cryptocurrency in global crimes but also demonstrates the effectiveness of international cooperation in countering it.