Na big anti-scam operation wey Meta lead and backed by FBI, Department of Justice, Microsoft, Coinbase and Starlink don result for 63 arrests, millions of dollars for frozen cryptocurrency and removal of more than one million scam-related online accounts, officials announce for Tuesday.
Meta say the operation na di company biggest anti-scam operation to date and describe am as di first coordinated anti-scam effort of its kind for di company to bring together major technology companies, financial platforms and law enforcement agencies to target di broader fraud ecosystem.
Assistant Attorney General for National Fraud Enforcement Colin McDonald underscore di unprecedented scope of di federal government anti-fraud initiative. He reveal di task force don undertake over 450 major law enforcement actions within 52 days, including search warrants, arrests and convictions.
McDonald emphasize di crucial role of state cooperation and public whistleblowers in bringing justice to those wey prey on di elderly and vulnerable, ensuring maximum prosecution efforts.
Di operation target criminal scam networks wey authorities say steal billions of dollars from Americans each year through romance scams, cryptocurrency investment fraud and other fraudulent schemes. Officials say many of di organizations operate from forced-labor compounds for Southeast Asia linked to transnational organized crime groups.
Authorities don also warn say some people wey dey work inside Southeast Asian scam compounds na trafficking victims coerced into carrying out fraud, while law enforcement efforts don focus on alleged organizers, recruiters, money launderers and network operators.
“Protecting people around di world from scams na one of our highest priorities,” Chris Sonderby, Meta vice president and deputy general counsel, say for statement. Sonderby say di operation “demonstrates di power of partnerships to combat scammers.”
“We proud to partner with industry and DOJ, FBI, Royal Thai Police, and other law enforcement agencies in taking dis global fight directly to dese Asia-based scam centers at their source,” he add.
Di Royal Thai Police arrest 63 individuals wey allegedly connect to scam centers. Coinbase freeze more than $3 million for cryptocurrency assets wey tie to criminal networks. Microsoft disable roughly 20,000 accounts wey link to scam operations, Meta say. Starlink disrupt thousands of internet terminals associate with di networks, according to Meta.
Authorities also identify dozens of previously unknown scam compounds and criminal networks, wey dem refer to law enforcement agencies for further investigation. Meta say di effort mark its third joint operation with di DOJ Scam Center Strike Force since December 2025.
