A joint operation involving leading technology firms and international law enforcement has disrupted criminal scam networks operating across Southeast Asia, resulting in 63 arrests and the removal of more than 1.4 million online accounts, Newswire reported.
The operation brought together Meta, Microsoft, Coinbase, Starlink, the US Department of Justice, the FBI, the US Secret Service, the Royal Thai Police, and law enforcement agencies from the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. According to Meta, the coordinated effort targeted syndicates running romance scams, investment fraud and operations linked to scam compounds and forced-labour networks.
Meta removed more than 1.4 million Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages and groups tied to scam activity, while Microsoft suspended around 20,000 fraudulent accounts. Coinbase froze more than US$3 million worth of digital assets linked to criminal networks, and Starlink disabled connectivity for thousands of internet terminals allegedly used for unlawful activities.
The operation was coordinated through the US Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force and involved a week-long intelligence-sharing exercise in Washington, DC, aimed at linking online scam activities to real-world criminal networks. The exercise also helped identify new suspected scam-centre locations, which have been referred to law enforcement for action.
Royal Thai Police officials said the operation marked the third major joint effort with Meta and other partners. The takedown lands as Sri Lanka has emerged as both a recruitment ground and transit point for the Southeast Asia compound industry following large-scale arrests in Thalangama in early May involving 37 Chinese nationals. The Central Bank’s public “Be Scam-Proof” awareness campaign was launched this week.
Sources: Tech Giants, Police Disrupt Southeast Asia Scam Networks; 63 Arrested — Newswire.
