Tech giants and law enforcement disrupt SEA scam networks in joint crackdown

Meta, Microsoft and Coinbase have led a sweeping digital takedown of scam infrastructure across Southeast Asia, with platforms disabling millions of accounts and disrupting fraud operations across the attack chain.

Meta said it disabled more than 1.4 million accounts, pages and groups across Facebook and Instagram linked to scam networks. It also worked alongside other industry players in the coordinated operation.

Microsoft suspended around 20,000 fraudulent accounts tied to scam operations, while Coinbase froze more than US$3 million in cryptocurrency assets linked to criminal networks.

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Connectivity provider Starlink also terminated access for thousands of kits identified as being used for unlawful activity, cutting off another layer of operational infrastructure for scam compounds. On the enforcement side, law enforcement agencies arrested 63 suspected individuals connected to scam centres, according to participating partners.

The operation was led by the US Department of Justice’s scam center strike force, bringing together technology companies and law enforcement agencies across multiple jurisdictions, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Thailand.

The effort also involved the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, alongside the FBI and US Secret Service, with coordination supported through intelligence sharing between public and private sector partners.

Partners said the collaboration allowed them to connect activity across platforms and financial systems, helping identify scam networks and potential scam compound locations for referral to authorities.

Beyond account takedowns and asset freezes, the operation also generated intelligence gains, with partners identifying new suspected scam centre locations and networks. These were passed to law enforcement agencies for further action, extending disruption from online platforms into real-world enforcement.

Industry partners said the coordinated model enabled action across multiple stages of the fraud ecosystem, from online recruitment and communication channels to financial transfer and infrastructure access. Scam networks across the region have increasingly relied on multi-platform tactics to evade detection, prompting companies to adopt more coordinated approaches across sectors.

The participating companies said they plan to continue cross-industry collaboration to disrupt evolving scam operations and strengthen safeguards for users online.

“Protecting people around the world from scams is one our highest priorities. The joint operation 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," said Chris Sonderby, VP and deputy general counsel, Meta.

In tandem, Steven Masada, global head of Microsoft’s digital crimes unit 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, and Microsoft remains committed to working with partners to combine visibility into scam infrastructure with real-world action, disrupting criminal networks at scale and holding those behind them accountable."

The recent enforcement push builds on earlier platform-level measures aimed at tightening scam detection and brand protection across Meta’s ecosystem.

Meta had previously updated its anti-scam advertising tool, “Brand rights protection”, adding new features requested by businesses using the system. The updates were designed to give brands greater control over how they are represented online and to reduce exposure to misleading or harmful content.

The tool serves as a unified reporting system across Facebook and Instagram, allowing businesses to monitor and flag misuse of their brand in both ads and organic content, including impersonation and intellectual property infringement.

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