DOJ Says Global Scam Center Takedown Led to at Least 276 Arrests

Authorities said Dubai Police, operating under the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Interior, spearheaded the international enforcement action. Of the 276 arrests, 275 were made by Dubai authorities. One additional defendant was arrested by the Royal Thai Police.

Among those arrested were three defendants charged in the Southern District of California with federal wire fraud and money laundering offenses. Prosecutors said the San Diego cases are tied to alleged scam operations known as “Ko Thet Company,” “Sanduo Group” and “Giant Company.”

The defendants named in the San Diego cases are Thet Min Nyi, 27, a Burmese national; Wiliang Awang, 23, an Indonesian national; Andreas Chandra, 29, an Indonesian national; and Lisa Mariam, 29, an Indonesian national. Prosecutors also charged two fugitive co-conspirators.

Federal officials said Dubai Police apprehended Thet Min Nyi, Chandra and Mariam. The Royal Thai Police apprehended Awang. The cases were unsealed in San Diego as part of the broader announcement.

U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California said the arrests show that overseas fraud operators cannot assume they are beyond the reach of law enforcement. Federal officials framed the operation as a warning to scammers who target Americans from abroad.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said fraud groups that target Americans from overseas cannot operate without consequences. Officials said the charges reflect growing international agreement that scam centers must be disrupted and prosecuted across borders.

The alleged schemes described by prosecutors fall under what is commonly known as “pig-butchering” fraud. In those schemes, scammers slowly build trust with victims, often through friendship or romance, before encouraging them to place money into fake investment platforms. Victims may believe they are seeing legitimate investment gains, but prosecutors said the platforms are controlled by scammers.

According to federal court records described by prosecutors, the defendants allegedly cultivated trust and affection with victims before promoting cryptocurrency investments. They then allegedly helped victims set up accounts and move cryptocurrency to investment platforms that were not legitimate.

Prosecutors said the alleged scammers sometimes encouraged victims to invest more by touting fake returns and claiming personal success with cryptocurrency trading. In some cases, victims were allegedly urged to borrow money from relatives, friends or lenders so they could send more funds into the fraudulent platforms.

Once victims transferred cryptocurrency, prosecutors said, they lost control of the funds. The money was allegedly laundered through other cryptocurrency accounts, including accounts controlled by the scammers.

The investigation began after FBI San Diego agents opened a Homeland Security Task Force investigation in 2025. Agents had identified companies and individuals allegedly managing scam compounds used to conduct cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes.

Investigators said they identified victims across the United States through reports made to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Federal agents interviewed victims and reviewed financial and cryptocurrency records as they traced losses and identified patterns in the alleged fraud operations.

So far, authorities said, investigators have identified millions of dollars in losses connected to the schemes. Officials also said the investigation crossed jurisdictions, reflecting the increasingly global nature of online investment fraud.

Prosecutors said Thet Min Nyi, also known as “Ko Thet” and “Ko,” was an alleged manager and recruiter for Ko Thet Company and managed scam compounds. A federal grand jury in San Diego returned an indictment against him and a fugitive co-defendant in March 2026. The indictment charges wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, along with criminal forfeiture allegations.

In April 2026, federal prosecutors filed two criminal complaints in San Diego charging Awang, Chandra, Mariam and a fugitive co-defendant with wire fraud conspiracy. Those cases are tied to alleged cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes connected to Sanduo Group and Giant Company.

The Justice Department said the Dubai Police Department significantly disrupted the scam operations through a parallel investigation. Dubai authorities continue to work with international law enforcement partners to identify and dismantle transnational financial crime networks.

Thai authorities also played a major role in the case. Prosecutors said Thailand’s Royal Thai Police Immigration Bureau, Foreign Affairs and Anti Cyber Scam Center provided significant assistance, including the apprehension of Awang in Thailand.

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, also provided information that authorities said was critical to the investigation. U.S. officials said they appreciated the company’s assistance.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Horn for the Southern District of California and Trial Attorneys Stefanie Schwartz and William Gullotta of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided assistance.

Federal officials connected the announcement to broader efforts by FBI San Diego to combat cryptocurrency investment fraud. Prosecutors pointed to Operation Level Up, a San Diego and Phoenix joint initiative that began in 2024 and has worked to identify and notify victims of cryptocurrency investment scams.

As of April 2026, authorities said the FBI had notified almost 9,000 victims through Operation Level Up and saved victims an estimated $562 million. FBI San Diego is also investigating the Tai Chang Scam Enterprise, a series of scam compounds in Burma’s Karen State accused of conducting cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes against Americans.

The Justice Department said anyone who has been defrauded through this type of investment scheme should contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.

The defendants face serious potential penalties if convicted. Wire fraud conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the amount of gain or loss. Money laundering conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount of gain or loss.

Federal prosecutors emphasized that the charges and allegations are accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

The investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, which federal officials described as a whole-of-government effort aimed at dismantling transnational criminal organizations, foreign gangs, cartels and human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in the United States and abroad.

Officials said the San Diego task force includes agents and officers from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Interpol.

The announcement also follows a March 2026 executive order directing the federal government to prioritize cybercrime, fraud and predatory schemes that drain Americans of their savings. Prosecutors said the international takedown reflects the administration’s push to use every available tool against foreign-backed criminal networks accused of exploiting vulnerable people through cyber-enabled fraud.

For federal authorities, the San Diego charges represent one part of a much larger enforcement effort. The operation reached across multiple countries, involved hundreds of arrests and targeted scam centers accused of using false relationships and fake investment platforms to steal from victims who believed they were building financial futures.

The cases remain active as prosecutors move forward in federal court and law enforcement agencies continue working with international partners to identify victims, trace stolen funds and disrupt the networks behind cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes.