WASHINGTON – In a significant move to combat international fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has teamed up with the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales and the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom. Together, they announced the signing of a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at dismantling global scam centers involved in cryptocurrency and cyber-enabled investment fraud. This initiative is vital, as such frauds reportedly cost American citizens approximately $10 billion annually.
During an event at the residence of Sir Christian Turner KCMG, His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United States, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro underscored the importance of the alliance. “The United Kingdom is one of our oldest allies and partners. Today we commit to stand together in the war on transnational organized crime,” Pirro stated. The MOU facilitates parallel investigations into common targets and aims to prioritize cases that threaten both nations, allowing for enhanced information-sharing and coordinated strategies against organized crime syndicates.
Both U.S. and UK officials have already identified significant overlapping cases and plan to hold an in-person disruption event in London with private industry partners in early October. This initiative marks a new phase for the Scam Center Strike Force, which was launched in November 2025 to tackle the growing threat of Chinese organized crime syndicates operating scam centers. The Strike Force focuses on cryptocurrency fraud, cyber-enabled fraud, human trafficking, and money laundering.
According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), cyber-enabled fraud schemes accounted for almost 85% of all reported losses in 2025. Notably, losses attributed to cryptocurrency investment fraud soared from $4.57 billion in 2023 to $8.65 billion in 2025-an alarming increase of 89%. This partnership between U.S. and UK law enforcement agencies is a crucial step in addressing these rising threats and protecting residents across Washington, DC, and beyond.
Read the original article at usao