U.S. law‑enforcement initiatives, including the FBI’s Operation Level Up and multiple DOJ forfeiture actions, continue to target transnational crypto “confidence” scams that groom victims via online relationships and social media. Recent enforcement and asset seizures through late 2025 and into January 2026 underscore pig‑butchering and crypto investment fraud as top priorities.

Federal authorities have reiterated and expanded enforcement against transnational crypto confidence fraud through continued Operation Level Up actions and coordinated DOJ forfeiture efforts into early January 2026. The initiatives focus on large “pig‑butchering” schemes that exploit online grooming, fabricated investment platforms and social‑media manipulation to extract substantial cryptocurrency from victims. Investigators report sustained seizures of crypto wallets, domains and infrastructure used to operate and launder proceeds, and have filed civil and criminal forfeiture actions to deprive networks of financial resources. The multi‑agency approach combines FBI cyber units, DOJ criminal and asset‑forfeiture teams, and international partners to pursue servers, payment rails and facilitators across jurisdictions. Enforcement statements stress victim recovery, disruption of recruitment pipelines and prevention of reinvestment in new scam operations. Officials also flagged the evolving use of encrypted apps and synthetic media in recruitment, and indicated ongoing emphasis on public advisories, takedowns and cross‑border legal cooperation to dismantle complex transnational fraud ecosystems.