Leading technology companies announced the results of a major joint operation with law enforcement to disrupt criminal scam networks in Southeast Asia, according to a June 3 statement. The operation, which included participation from Meta, Microsoft, Coinbase, Starlink, and other industry partners alongside agencies such as the FBI and Secret Service, resulted in significant enforcement actions by directly connecting online activity to real-world criminals.
Meta reported disabling more than 1.4 million accounts, pages, and groups from Facebook and Instagram. Microsoft suspended approximately 20,000 fraudulent accounts linked to scam networks as part of the coordinated effort. Law enforcement arrested 63 potential criminals connected to scam centers during the operation. In addition, Coinbase froze over $3 million in cryptocurrency assets tied to criminal networks. Starlink continued its consumer integrity efforts by terminating connectivity for thousands of kits attributed to unlawful use.
The initiative began on May 18 under the leadership of the US Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force led by US Attorney for District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. The collaboration brought together tech companies with law enforcement partners from several countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Thailand. Throughout a week-long gathering in Washington D.C., participants shared actionable insights that helped connect information across platforms and targeted criminal syndicates behind online scams.
Chris Sonderby, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Meta, said: “Protecting people around the world from scams is one of our highest priorities. The joint operation announced today — which included the removal of over a million accounts, the freezing of assets, and more than 60 arrests — demonstrates the power of partnerships to combat scammers. We’re proud to partner with industry and DOJ, FBI, Royal Thai Police, and other law enforcement agencies in taking this global fight directly to these Asia-based scam centers at their source.”
Steven Masada of Microsoft said, “Operations like this show what’s possible when technology companies and law enforcement work side by side. Scam networks operate across platforms and borders… disrupting criminal networks at scale and holding those behind them accountable.” Leah Bressack from Coinbase added, “Blockchain technology is one of the most powerful tools we have in the fight against financial crime… That transparency is exactly what allowed us to work with law enforcement to trace, freeze, and disrupt these criminal networks.” Lauren Dreyer at SpaceX emphasized Starlink’s commitment: “We proactively detect and disable terminals involved in illegal activity… Through collaboration with law enforcement … we advance global anti-scam efforts.”
Police Lieutenant General Jirabhop Bhuridej from Royal Thai Police said, “This marks our third joint operation with Meta … Transnational online fraud cannot be solved by any single agency or country acting alone…” Participants indicated ongoing commitment toward continuing such collaborations.
