FBI and Dubai Police Arrest 276 in Global Crypto Scam Bust
A coordinated international law enforcement operation resulted in 276 arrests across multiple countries and the shutdown of 12 crypto scam centers. The Justice Department charged 6 people with federal fraud and money laundering offenses.
Key Takeaway
International law enforcement is coordinating takedowns of crypto scam operations across multiple continents.
Dubai police arrested 275 people while FBI and China's Ministry of Public Security coordinated an international takedown that shut down 9 crypto scam centers in the emirate.
The US Department of Justice announced Wednesday that 6 people face federal fraud and money laundering charges connected to the operations, with 4 defendants in custody and 2 fugitive co-conspirators still at large. Royal Thai Police arrested 1 additional person. Each charge carries up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
US Assistant Attorney General Andrew Tysen Duva said the charges and arrests reflect an international consensus that scam centers are unwelcome everywhere and must be rooted out. He added that in contemporary society, fraud is borderless, and law enforcement activity to combat it is borderless as well.
FBI San Diego Field Office Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily said the indictment demonstrates the FBI's determination to identify, disrupt, and dismantle these global scam centers defrauding Americans no matter where they set up shop. The Justice Department accused three unnamed companies of operating the centers to promote fake crypto investment platforms.
A separate European police action resulted in 10 arrests by Austrian and Albanian authorities, who shut down 3 scam centers in Tirana. Europol said the criminal network showed professionalism in its structure, involving up to 450 employees across various departments. Customer acquisition was handled by conversion agents, while retention agents managed customer service. Estimated losses from the European scheme reached ₱3.58 billion ($58 million).
Americans lost ₱678.52 billion ($11 billion) to crypto and artificial intelligence-related scams in 2025.
This article was written based on reporting from Cointelegraph.
