US Indicts Six over Crypto Romance Scam

On October 27, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Scam Center Strike Force announced charges against six Africa-based individuals for their alleged roles in an international cryptocurrency fraud scheme. The criminal organization, which maintains ties to China, Malaysia, and Southeast Asia, previously relocated from Cambodia to establish a scam compound in Madagascar. The group operated this compound from at least January 2025 until April 2026.

The syndicate targeted approximately 800 American victims, initially making contact through various dating websites before transitioning communications to the messaging platform WhatsApp. According to a DOJ press release, “In the scheme, scammers posed as beautiful women who met victims on dating websites, eventually enlisting them to connect their cryptocurrency wallets to fraudulent websites associated with the NFT investments.” Once these connections were established, the perpetrators instructed victims to continue funding the accounts. The DOJ stated that the operators then “surreptitiously pulled money from the victims' wallets without their knowledge.” Investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) traced roughly 74 cryptocurrency wallets tied to the fraudulent network, tracking financial damages that reached an estimated loss of at least approximately $516,695.

Expanding Enforcement Operations

Directed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen P. Seifert, the Scam Center Strike Force has restrained exactly $1,006,460,156.82 in cryptocurrency to date and seized 700 fraudulent investment websites. The scale of the issue remains vast, with U.S. government estimates indicating that roughly $8.65 billion was stolen from Americans in 2025 via international scam compounds.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Ferris Pirro addressed the organization's methods, stating, “Chinese TCOs are sending scammers into your dating network, your social network, and your messaging applications, all to steal Main Street America's bank accounts.” Emphasizing a global approach, Pirro noted, “My Strike Force will expand and grow, and follow the scammers to Africa, India, Europe, and wherever they try to plant their operations.”

International Raids and Warrants

The six indicted defendants are alleged ringleader Chui Kok Wa, a Malaysian national, alongside Gislen Neukeu, Shamusa Ninsiima, Clement Mugiraneza, Merveille Mudacumura, and Nicodemus Hingima Monyancha. The DOJ's announcement involved multiple high-level officials, including U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska Michael J. Heyman, FBI Criminal Division Assistant Director Heith Janke, and United States Secret Service Washington Field Office Special Agent in Charge Tara McLeese. Additionally, U.S. Attorney Pirro met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor as part of the broader enforcement initiative.

Enforcement actions included raids across Africa and Southeast Asia, where authorities confiscated Starlink terminals and thousands of dollars. During August 2026, agents representing the Scam Center Task Force, the FBI’s Honolulu field office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska deployed to Madagascar to examine seized electronic devices. United States authorities secured a material witness warrant to question 15 workers from the compound. These individuals, who are presently believed to be detained in a Madagascar jail, allege that Wa subjected them to abuse and human trafficking. In its press release, the DOJ requested the Madagascar government's cooperation to extradite the charged defendants, while noting that “Madagascar repatriated to China numerous suspects before the investigation was complete.”