DOJ exposes Tai Chang’s elaborate crypto scam network

On December 2, the U.S Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the seizure of tickmilleas.com, a bogus cryptocurrency investment name related to Burma’s Tai Chang scam compound. According to the Justice Department, authorities say the site was intended to fool Americans with false investment returns and attract victims into installing scam-linked mobile apps.

According to the DOJ, the domain tickmilleas.com was controlled from the Tai Chang property, also known as Casino Kosai, in Kyaukhat, and was set up to appear to be a legitimate trading platform. The Justice Department report stated that Scammers allegedly gave victims instructions on how to deposit money while displaying fictitious balances and impressive-looking profits.

DOJ exposes Tai Chang’s elaborate crypto scam network

According to the affidavit submitted in support of the domain seizure, Tai Chang is associated with the Burmese group, a Trans Asia International Holding Group Thailand Company Limited (Trans Asia), and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA). The affidavit revealed that the two Burmese groups were designated by the Department of the Treasury, among others, as specifically designated nationals (SDNs) on November 12. 

Additionally, the designation of the two groups was due to their connections to Chinese organized crime and the growth of scam centers in Southeast Asia.

According to the DOJ report, victims who utilized the web domain reported to the FBI that the website displayed supposed deposits made by scammers to their “accounts”. The report further revealed that scammers led victims through fraudulent trades and offered handsome returns on what they thought were their investments.

The DOJ stated that the FBI had already found many victims who utilized the domain in the last month and were defrauded out of their investments, despite the seized domain being registered in early November 2025.

According to the DOJ, a splash screen on the tickmilleas.com website alerts victims who have been routed to the domain that it has been seized by law enforcement. The alerts thereby stopped the intended CIF scam activity and related money laundering.

The affidavit submitted in support of the seizure revealed that the tickmilleas.com site instructed users to download mobile apps connected to the scam from Google Play and the Apple App Store. The FBI notified Google and Apple of the fraudulent apps, and several of the applications have been voluntarily withdrawn.

Notably, based on information provided by the FBI regarding the Tai Chang fraud compound, Meta detected and voluntarily erased more than 2,000 accounts from their network of social media platforms.

Interpol warns of expanding global crypto scam networks

In 2024 alone, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received more than 41,000 reports, reporting about $5.8 billion in damages from CIF schemes. The DOJ claimed that these CIF scams usually start with unwanted contact from strangers via text messages, social media, messaging apps, and dating apps.

The DOJ explained that these strangers develop intimate virtual relationships with their victim targets, encourage them to make purported investments in or utilize cryptocurrencies. Additionally, these strangers advise victims on how to obtain and invest in cryptocurrency using fraudulent domains and applications that appear authentic.

According to the DOJ, the domain seizure comes less than three weeks after the announcement of the creation of the Scam Center Strike Force and the seizure of two additional domains similarly utilized by the Tai Chang scam compound for CIF frauds.

Last month, a report released by the Interpol General Assembly stated that crypto fraud is at the heart of the expanding scam-compound industry.

Cryptopolitan reported that Interpol claimed that victims are frequently trafficked into compounds under the guise of attractive jobs abroad, where they are forced to participate in illegal schemes like voice phishing, romance scams, and investment fraud. According to Interpol, the victims are also compelled to participate in cryptocurrency scams targeting individuals worldwide.

Interpol claimed the groups operating these scam centers employ new technologies “to deceive victims and mask their operations” with the cross-border criminal networks functioning with a “highly adaptive nature.”

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