International cooperation. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it deployed a team from the Scam Center Strike Force to Madagascar, a specialized U.S. unit focused on combating online scam networks, particularly those involving cryptocurrencies. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia released on Wednesday, the team spent two weeks in Madagascar assisting in operations targeting 13 scam centers operated by Chinese criminal networks. It reported that over 3,200 electronic devices were seized by Malagasy authorities and subsequently processed and analyzed with the support of U.S. investigators.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the analysis of the seized devices was a key component of the U.S. intervention. Mobile phones and other computer equipment were among the items examined. This analysis served as a basis for further U.S. investigations. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Ferris Pirro, stated that approximately 500 online scammers were arrested during the dismantling of the 13 centers. Investigators then conducted interviews with the detainees to identify the leaders of the networks operating these centers.
The intervention in Madagascar marks the expansion of the Scam Center Strike Force’s activities beyond Southeast Asia. Established in November 2025 by the U.S. Department of Justice, this unit targets online fraud networks, particularly those using cryptocurrencies, as well as money laundering and human trafficking activities associated with scam centers.
The operations in Madagascar were announced in parallel with action against Xinbi Guarantee, a Chinese platform operating on Telegram, which U.S. authorities described as a marketplace providing services to scam centers. These services include the creation of fake investment websites and the laundering of funds derived from scams.
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-10 12:38:35 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.2424.mg/escroquerie-plus-de-3-200-appareils-electroniques-analyses-avec-des-enqueteurs-americains-dans-le-demantelement-de-13-centres-darnaque-en-ligne/