US and UK Join Forces to Combat Scam Compounds Costing Americans $10B Annually

On Thursday, US and UK law enforcement agencies inked an unprecedented pact aimed at taking down overseas crypto and cyber scam compounds that drain approximately $10 billion from Americans annually.

The MoU ties together the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales, and the National Crime Agency, the UK's main agency for tackling serious organized crime.

US and UK Initiate Coordinated Campaign Against Scam Compounds

Through the MoU, the three agencies will conduct parallel investigations of common targets. They will also exchange intelligence on organized crime rings and determine which nation will handle each prosecution.

The agreement was signed by US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Crown Prosecutor Stephen Parkinson, and NCA Director General Graeme Biggar. The signing ceremony was held at the residence of the British ambassador to the United States.

Pirro described the pact as a wartime coalition against transnational crime.

“Together we will disable the Chinese TOC networks that are operating these scam compounds and depriving our citizens of their hard-earned funds, all while using human-trafficked labor to increase their profit,” he said.

The two sides have already identified overlapping cases. Additionally, the National Crime Agency plans to host an in-person disruption operation with private sector partners in London in early October.

Fraud Losses Surge as Enforcement Efforts Expand

The MoU builds on a campaign launched in November 2025, when Pirro established the Scam Center Strike Force. In April, the US Attorney’s Office and its partners restrained over $700 million in cryptocurrency linked to scam compounds. In July, authorities seized an additional $25 million associated with global fraud networks.

Private companies have also contributed. During a DOJ Disruption Week in June, Coinbase blocked more than $3 million in funds linked to Asian fraud rings.

The scale of the crackdown continues to grow. In 2025, reported losses from cyber-enabled investment fraud (CIF) reached $8.65 billion, an 89% increase from $4.57 billion in 2023.

Cyber-enabled fraud accounted for nearly 85% of all losses reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) last year. The agency points out that the majority of victims do not file reports, meaning actual losses are higher.