Unprecedented cooperation between the FBI, Dubai Police Department, and Chinese Ministry of Public Security resulted in the arrest of at least 276 individuals and the dismantling of at least nine scam centers used for cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes, according to an April 29 statement. These centers targeted Americans who have suffered millions of dollars in losses.
The international crackdown was led by Dubai Police under the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Interior. Of those arrested by Dubai authorities, three defendants were charged in the Southern District of California with federal wire fraud and money laundering charges. An additional person was arrested by Royal Thai Police.
Thet Min Nyi (27, a Burmese national), Wiliang Awang (23, an Indonesian national), Andreas Chandra (29, an Indonesian national), Lisa Mariam (29, an Indonesian national), and two fugitive co-conspirators face federal charges unsealed in San Diego. Thet Min Nyi, Chandra, and Mariam were apprehended by Dubai Police; Awang was apprehended by Royal Thai Police.
“These scammers thought they were safe half a world away. But their world has changed. Global crime now faces global justice,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California.
“Fraudsters who target Americans from overseas cannot operate with impunity, no matter where in the world they reside,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The charges and arrests announced today reflect an international consensus that scam centers are unwelcome everywhere and must be rooted out. Scam center organizers and fraudsters who defraud Americans and others will face justice in American courts and in courts around the world. In contemporary society, fraud is borderless, and law enforcement activity to combat it and eliminate it is as well.”
According to court documents unsealed today in San Diego federal court, all six defendants allegedly engaged in cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes known as “pig-butchering.” This type of scheme involves scammers gaining victims’ trust through friendship or romance before persuading them to send money to fake investments controlled by scammers.
FBI agents identified numerous victims across the United States through complaints filed with its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Agents interviewed victims and analyzed financial records; investigators have so far identified millions of dollars lost due to these schemes operating across jurisdictions.
Meta Platforms Inc., parent company of Facebook and Instagram, provided critical information for this investigation according to authorities.
“This operation demonstrates the FBI's steadfast commitment to preventing scammers from further defrauding the American people,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division.
Dubai Police continue working closely with international agencies as part of efforts against transnational criminal networks involved in financial crimes targeting global victims.
If you believe you have been affected by such a scheme, authorities encourage contacting the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
