The FBI has launched a historic effort to eliminate global scam center fraud that steal Americans’ life savings and fuel some of the world’s most vicious criminal networks.These scam centers are industrial-scale compounds located in cross-border regions on the other side of the world that are run by transnational criminal syndicates that torture workers, steal and launder billions and target Americans and our allies alike.
It is a massive, highly sophisticated web of criminality.Thanks to President Donald Trump’s decisive leadership and prioritization of the battle against scam centers, this FBI has taken the lead in the fight — treating scam centers as a top priority threat to our public and a crucial part of our no-fail mission to crush violent crime and defend the homeland.Fifteen months ago, we laid out a playbook to dismantle the problem.We went to the source and launched an initiative in Southeast Asia, working with partners in India, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and more to scuttle compounds and disrupt their communications capabilities.
We joined our private sector technology and financial industry partners to trace infrastructure, seize malicious domains, follow the money, and hunt down the funding streams for their leadership.We launched sweeping ops like Operation Blackout to identify, locate, and annihilate the largest international scam compounds in the region.In just over a year, this playbook has delivered historic results.WHAT A SCAMMER SEES THE MOMENT THEY GOOGLE YOUR NAMEIn April, working side-by-side with Dubai Police and China’s Ministry of Public Security, the FBI led Operation Sand Dollar — the largest scam center takedown in our history.
We hit nine scam centers run by Asian organized crime actors, made 311 arrests, and seized thousands of devices that had been used to target Americans in the United Arab Emirates.Each of those centers was stealing roughly $6 million a year.
Shutting them down meant saving victims $54 million ...