US and UK Launch Joint Effort to Tackle Crypto Investment Fraud

The United States and the United Kingdom have agreed to strengthen cooperation against scam centers targeting victims through cryptocurrency investment fraud and other cyber-enabled schemes.

Authorities from both countries have signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a joint framework to disrupt these cross-border networks, highlighting growing concerns over organized scam operations and their use of digital assets to move illicit funds.

U.S. and UK Join Forces Against Crypto Fraud Networks

The agreement was signed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales, and the UK National Crime Agency.

The cooperation will focus on coordinating investigations involving shared targets, exchanging intelligence on organized crime networks, and determining which jurisdiction should handle cases where investigations overlap.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the agreement is the first international cooperation pact of its kind specifically focused on disrupting scam centers involved in cryptocurrency investment fraud and other cyber-enabled crimes.

Crypto Investment Scams Drive Billions in Losses

The agreement comes as reported losses from cyber-enabled investment fraud continue to surge in the United States.

Data from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, cited by the Justice Department, showed that reported losses increased 89%, from $4.57 billion in 2023 to $8.65 billion in 2025.

Cyber-enabled fraud accounted for nearly 85% of all losses reported to the center last year. However, the Justice Department warned that the figures may significantly underestimate the actual scale of the problem because many victims never report fraud.

Scam Centers Exploit Crypto to Target Victims

The networks under investigation often rely on fake cryptocurrency investment platforms that display fabricated account balances and returns to convince victims to send additional funds.

Some operations are also linked to romance scams, in which fraudsters spend weeks or months building relationships and establishing trust before introducing victims to fraudulent investment opportunities.

The criminal networks are also associated with human trafficking and money laundering. Workers are reportedly recruited with promises of lucrative jobs before being detained and forced to participate in fraudulent schemes.

New Alliance Builds on Previous Enforcement Efforts

The new agreement builds on existing cooperation between U.S. and UK authorities targeting scam infrastructure.

In May, the UK National Crime Agency participated in an enforcement initiative led by the U.S. Scam Center Strike Force alongside authorities from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Thailand, as well as private-sector companies.

The operation disrupted more than 1.4 million social media and email accounts, while private companies froze more than $3.8 million in cryptocurrency linked to the laundering of funds stolen from Americans.

Seven suspected scammers were also arrested in Thailand, while authorities disrupted servers, network connections and other infrastructure used by the networks.

U.S. Authorities Intensify Crypto Enforcement

U.S. authorities have also increased efforts to target the digital assets and financial infrastructure supporting organized fraud networks.

In July, the Justice Department moved to forfeit approximately $25 million in assets linked to five investigations involving investment and romance scams targeting victims in the United States and Canada.

A major enforcement action announced in April highlighted the scale of the networks under investigation. U.S. authorities charged two Chinese nationals with allegedly operating a cryptocurrency investment fraud compound in Burma and attempting to establish another operation in Cambodia.

The Justice Department said coordinated enforcement actions had resulted in more than $700 million in cryptocurrency being restrained in connection with suspected scam-related money laundering.

Authorities also seized 503 fake investment websites and a Telegram channel with more than 6,000 followers that prosecutors said was used to recruit workers for a scam compound in Cambodia.

International Efforts Expand Against Scam Networks

The crackdown extends beyond the United States and UK, with international authorities increasing efforts to disrupt fraud networks and trace their financial infrastructure.

In Southeast Asia, Myanmar’s parliament approved an anti-online scam bill in July that introduced tougher penalties for operating scam centers or participating in cryptocurrency-related fraud.

Meanwhile, INTERPOL has carried out international operations targeting cyber fraud and money laundering networks. One operation running from November 2025 through June 2026 resulted in 58 arrests across 22 countries, including the United States and United Kingdom.

Investigators examined romance scams, fake cryptocurrency investments and business email fraud, while also tracing shell companies, bank accounts and digital wallets used to move illicit proceeds.

In a separate INTERPOL-led operation announced in July, authorities made 5,811 arrests across 97 countries and territories, blocked more than 31,000 bank accounts and intercepted $293 million in illicit assets.

What the U.S.-UK Agreement Means for Crypto Fraud

The significance of the U.S.-UK agreement lies in its focus on disrupting scam centers as entire criminal operations rather than targeting individual wallets or transactions alone.

This approach could prove more effective over the long term because modern scam networks operate through interconnected systems involving recruitment, social engineering, fake digital platforms and complex money flows.

Closer cooperation between the U.S. and UK also signals to cross-border criminal groups that using cryptocurrencies will not shield them from financial tracing or coordinated legal action. As international partnerships expand, targeting the operational and financial infrastructure behind these networks could become one of the most important tools for reducing cryptocurrency-related investment fraud.