Jeanine Pirro holds a news conference in front of the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan Oct. 9, 2006 calling for the end of the federal investigation into her alleged wiretapping of her husband, Albert Pirro Jr.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced a sweeping new federal initiative Wednesday aimed at dismantling Chinese organized crime networks and the Southeast Asian scam centers behind a surge in cryptocurrency fraud targeting Americans.
Scam Center Strike Force
Standing before reporters in Washington, Pirro unveiled the new Scam Center Strike Force — a multi-agency coalition bringing together the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, the FBI, the Secret Service, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. The task force, she said, will “investigate, disrupt, and prosecute the most egregious Southeast Asian scam centers and their leaders,” with a focus on operations in Burma, Cambodia, and Laos. “Now, since President Trump has sought to make the U.S. a leading haven for cryptocurrency, it’s important for Americans to understand the safe use of the commodity,” Pirro said. “There are no tricks that can be part of cryptocurrency.”
Scam Operations Continue To Grow
The effort reflects the federal government’s growing alarm at the scale and sophistication of global scam networks that exploit both human trafficking and digital technology to defraud Americans. A government estimate found U.S. citizens lost more than $10 billion in 2024 to scam operations based in Southeast Asia — a staggering 66% increase from the year before. Pirro described the human and emotional toll in stark terms. “Older Americans, in particular, are targets of these scams. Many of them lonely. Many of them looking to speak with someone who communicates with them,” she said. “Their entire life savings gone, their retirement funds gone.”
No One Wins With A Crypto Scam
A variety of scams are likely to hit this fall, including phone calls from fraudsters who ask if you’ve received your new Medicare card yet. Experts say: Hang up, do not give anyone your Medicare number or Social Security number if they call out of the blue.
One case she cited involved an elderly woman who lost $1 million; another, a man who died by suicide after realizing he had been duped.
The scam centers, Pirro explained, are run like criminal factories. Workers are often recruited under false pretenses, then trapped through debt bondage or the threat of violence. Once inside, they are forced to use messaging apps and fake investment platforms to con victims in the U.S. and elsewhere — often by posing as potential romantic partners or friendly investors.
These Scams Fund Terror Organizations
At the same press conference, the Treasury Department announced new sanctions through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeting groups linked to the schemes, including the Burmese Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and several Thailand-based companies allegedly facilitating cybercrime. Treasury officials said the revenue from these scams helps fund organized crime and Myanmar’s ongoing civil war.
“Criminal networks operating out of Burma are stealing billions of dollars from hardworking Americans through online scams,” said John K. Hurley, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “These same networks traffic human beings and help fuel Burma’s brutal civil war.”
The Taskforce Is Already Hard At Work
– -Text: Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro annouces that she will run for the United States Senate against Hillary Clinton, while at a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan Aug. 10, 2005
Pirro said the new task force has already seized over $400 million, with another $80 million in assets now being forfeited for restitution to victims. Tech companies including Meta and Microsoft, as well as AARP, are working with the task force to educate potential victims and build protections against future scams. “We strive to expose these fraudulent contacts and pitfalls so that Americans end up secure in their investments,” Pirro said. “This is about protecting people — not just their money, but their faith in the system itself.”
