US authorities seized more than $25 million in cryptocurrency tied to international fraud networks and filed five forfeiture complaints on July 21 as part of the Scam Center Strike Force launched in November 2025, a campaign that has recovered over $800 million to date. The probes target romance scams, fake investment platforms and recovery cons involving hundreds of victims and intermediary wallets — one complaint seeks roughly $12 million from about 200 victims, another about $10.4 million from roughly 270 transactions and a third about $285,000 — with IP traces to China, Malaysia and Cambodia, underscoring crypto fraud, money laundering and enforcement risks.

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In Brief

US authorities seized over $25 million in crypto tied to global fraud networks.
Five forfeiture complaints cover romance scams, fake investment platforms, and recovery cons.
Launderers operated mostly from Southeast Asia, with IPs in China and Cambodia.

US authorities seized more than $25 million in cryptocurrency linked to international fraud networks that targeted victims across the United States and Canada.

The latest action is part of a wider effort that has recovered over $800 million.

US Agents Seize $25 Million From Crypto Scam Networks

US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said the seizure stems directly from the Scam Center Strike Force she launched in November 2025. She framed it as proof that pressure on international fraud networks works.

“This seizure is the result of months of tireless work by Washington Field Office investigators, who are among the best in the world at tracking down cyber criminals and tracing their illicit transactions,” Special Agent in Charge Tara McLeese of the US Secret Service Washington Field Office added.

Meanwhile, the office filed the five complaints in federal court on July 21. Each seeks to forfeit crypto recovered in separate fraud probes. Those investigations exposed several money laundering networks and thousands of victims worldwide.

The five investigations trace distinct schemes. One involved more than 200 victims defrauded through online romance scams, with the complaint seeking roughly $12 million. In this case, Secret Service agents traced laundered proceeds through hundreds of intermediary wallets.

Another traced more than 270 suspected victim transactions tied to fraudulent investment platforms, seeking about $10.4 million.

A fifth case shows a secondary con. Scammers contacted a prior fraud victim and promised to recover lost money. The victim then made a series of payments, and the complaint seeks about $285,000, with more recovery ongoing. IP addresses across the cases pointed to China, Malaysia, and Cambodia.

US authorities have doubled down on enforcement against crypto-linked scams. In one case, the Justice Department restrained more than $700 million in crypto in April, allegedly tied to money laundering from crypto scams.

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