DOJ Strike Force details seizures tied to Southeast Asian crypto scams, Xinbi Telegram marketplace taken down

# What happened U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced two recent actions by the Department of Justice's Scam Center Strike Force focused on Southeast Asian cryptocurrency-related fraud and scam networks. The updates describe seizures of online infrastructure and cryptocurrency connected to an illicit marketplace and continued operations against overseas scam compounds.

# Concrete actions taken

• Guarantee, an alleged illicit marketplace that marketed scam services to scam center operators.
• Two cryptocurrency wallets used by Xinbi to collect vendor payments were seized.
• Madagascar.
• The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia authorized seizure of the Telegram channels on Sept. 7, according to the announcement.

# Why it matters The Strike Force traced about $52 million in cryptocurrency moving through scam money-laundering operations each day. The recent seizures contribute to a cumulative total of approximately $938 million restrained by the Scam Center Strike Force. Pirro framed the threat in practical terms: if organized crime can cheaply buy website and money‑laundering services, broad pools of everyday Americans' savings are exposed.

# What Xinbi allegedly did Xinbi Guarantee is described as a marketplace operating on Telegram where vendors advertised services for scam centers. U.S. victims' funds were traced to specific vendors, and those tracing results were part of the seizure warrant that supported the court action and asset seizures.

# Operational scope and partners The announced actions combined law enforcement activity abroad and domestic legal processes. The Strike Force assisted in overseas operational takedowns (the Madagascar compounds) and worked with the Department of the Treasury to act against the online marketplace. A D.C. federal court issued the seizure order for the Telegram channels on Sept. 7.

# What this implies for anti‑scam work

• Targeting marketplaces and payment avenues aims to interrupt the supply chain of services that enable large-scale scam operations. Seizing payment wallets removes immediate liquidity for vendors.
• Court-authorized seizures of communication channels can disrupt vendor-to-operator marketing and coordination.
• Actions against physical compounds overseas indicate a willingness to combine domestic financial and legal tools with international operational efforts.

# Quote U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said: "If Chinese organized crime can buy a custom website and a money laundering service the way you order takeout, then every American with a retirement account is in the blast radius. My Strike Force will continue to dismantle Chinese organized crime, those who facilitate it, and protect Main Street America."

# Bottom line Force continues a dual approach: disrupt the online marketplaces and payment systems that facilitate scams while supporting takedowns of physical scam operations. Recent seizures of Telegram channels and cryptocurrency wallets tied to Xinbi Guarantee and the removal of 13 Chinese-run scam compounds in Madagascar add to roughly $938 million in restrained assets and address a flow of about $52 million in scam-linked crypto daily.