Federal prosecutors announced the Scam Center Strike Force froze or seized roughly $580 million in cryptocurrency tied to Chinese transnational criminal organizations that ran large‑scale “crypto confidence” investment scams targeting U.S. victims. Officials described the action as a major disruption of the money flows that sustain overseas scam centers and facilitate mass fraud against Americans.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia disclosed that the newly formed Scam Center Strike Force has frozen and seized approximately $580 million in cryptocurrency connected to transnational Chinese criminal networks that operated large‑scale pig‑butchering and crypto confidence scams. The seizure package reflects months of tracing on‑chain movements, analysis of wallet clusters, and coordination with domestic and international law enforcement and private sector partners including exchanges and blockchain analytics firms. Prosecutors framed the action as a strategic hit against the financial infrastructure that pays scam center operations, rents compounds, and launders victim proceeds, saying the asset restraints will complicate criminal reinvestment and payout cycles. The announcement emphasized both disruption and deterrence, noting that affected funds are tied to victims in the United States and elsewhere and that the operation will support victim restitution and further criminal prosecutions. Officials also called for continued reporting of crypto fraud to federal complaint channels to aid ongoing investigations and forfeiture efforts.