FBI, UAE shut down nine same centers, arrest 276 suspects in international sting

The FBI, along with UAE officials, has run an extensive international law enforcement operation targeting fraud schemes involving crypto that targeted US citizens, causing losses totaling millions of dollars. 

According to reports, this crackdown led to 276 arrests, shut down 9 scam centers, and rescued thousands of trafficked individuals who were coerced into forced labor. 

International operation shuts down 9 scam centers

According to Kash Patel, the FBI Director, this operation was spearheaded by Dubai Police, under the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Chinese government. 

Those involved in the scams were arrested in Dubai and Thailand. Most of those arrested were nationals of Burma and Indonesia. 

According to Kash Patel, the FBI’s San Diego division played a role in organizing the cooperation on the US side. The authorities have brought a series of federal charges, including wire fraud and money laundering charges, against a number of suspects in American courts. 

Additionally, the agencies seized assets linked to the scams, including more than $701 million in cryptocurrencies.

How the crypto scam and human trafficking went down

According to the FBI and the DOJ, the fraud scheme used a technique known as “pig butchering” or “romance baiting.” The scammers used social media platforms and messaging apps to gain their targets’ trust over weeks or even months by creating false identities, such as romantic or friendship relationships. 

After gaining their victims’ trust, they introduced them to crypto schemes that involved setting up fake websites that showed artificial profits.

The illegal trade craft was strongly connected to human trafficking. Foreigners were enticed by the promise of well-paid job opportunities, but forced at gunpoint to man the scamming facilities in slave-like fashion. 

The FBI has identified nearly 9,000 people who have become victims of similar crypto schemes and believes that proactive warnings via Operation Level Up are necessary. The operation was launched in January 2024 and, by April 2026, had been credited with saving victims approximately $562 million.

Named criminals charged in American courts

Some of those indicted on the charges of federal fraud and money laundering are Thet Min Nyi, aged 27, who is said to have acted as a manager and recruiter in Ko Thet Company; Wiliang Awang, aged 23; Andreas Chandra, aged 29; Lisa Mariam, aged 29; and two other co-conspirators who are at large.

The accused were either managing, working, or recruiting employees for three corporations: Ko Thet Company, Sanduo Group, and Giant Company, all of which operated several scam centers. 

However, two separate indictments have been issued against Jiang Wen Jie (also known as Jiang Nan) and Huang Xingshan (also known as Ah Zhe or Huang Xing Saan) for their participation in the Shunda scam center based in Min Let Pan, Myanmar. 

The arrests took place in 2026, before the duo set foot in Thailand from Cambodia. The measures involved closing a Telegram account (@pogojobhiring2023) with more than 6,500 subscribers, which was used to recruit victims into the Cambodia-based fraud center via 503 fraudulent investment sites.

Tech platforms ramp up protections to save users

According to the operations data, Meta Platforms contributed significantly to the data that helped the investigators identify the networks. In 2025 alone, the company removed over 159 million scam ads from its platform and shut down 10.9 million accounts used for fraudulent purposes. 

As part of the combined initiative, Meta shut down another 150,000 accounts associated with these networks.

According to Chris Sonderby, Meta’s vice president and deputy general counsel, the company remains committed to combating fraud through measures across its platforms. These security measures include new warnings about fake friend requests on Facebook, blocking unauthorized access to accounts on WhatsApp, and identifying common characteristics of scams in Messenger. 

Recently, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Cambodian Senator Kok An and his accomplices, including those associated with the K99 Group, which runs centers for fraud and money laundering, among other crimes. The Cambodian legislature has also enacted a new law that imposes a penalty of 5 to 10 years’ imprisonment, with fines up to $250,000.

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