FBI-led crackdown on multi-country “pig-butchering” scams: 275 people arrested in Dubai, 4 indicted in the U.S.

The U.S. FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), working with the UAE Ministry of Interior and Dubai Police, uncovered a transnational crypto “pig butchering” scam fraud syndicate network. FOX 9 reported that Dubai Police arrested 275 people in a single operation, while Thailand also arrested 1 suspect. Meanwhile, the U.S. Southern District of California Federal Court simultaneously filed charges against 4 suspects involved for wire fraud and money laundering.

Three major groups: Ko Thet Company, Sanduo Group, Giant Company

The core criminal structure targeted in this operation involves three identified scam groups: Ko Thet Company, Sanduo Group, Giant Company. Their operating model is a typical “pig butchering” scheme—by building seemingly real, long-term relationships (commonly referred to as “raising pigs”) with victims through social media platforms or dating apps, and then, after gaining the victim’s trust, luring them into transferring funds to fake investment platforms controlled by the scammers (commonly referred to as “killing”).

In terms of specific methods, victims are encouraged to convert fiat currency into cryptocurrency and then transfer it into these fake platforms. The platform interface shows fake profit figures to trick victims into continuously adding more funds, and even encourages victims to take out loans to expand their investment. Once a victim attempts to withdraw funds, the platform blocks them with various excuses (fees, taxes, withdrawal limit restrictions)—until the victim realizes the funds can no longer be recovered.

The 4 people indicted by the U.S. Southern District of California are: Thet Min Nyi (27, Myanmar), Wiliang Awang (23, Indonesia), Andreas Chandra (29, Indonesia), and Lisa Mariam (29, Indonesia). An additional 2 people are at large. The charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

Cross-border cooperation model: FBI + Dubai Police + DOJ + multiple countries

The execution structure of this operation is multilateral cooperation. Under the leadership of the UAE Ministry of Interior, Dubai Police carried out physical arrests (275 people in a single operation). Thai authorities independently arrested 1 person, while the U.S. DOJ and FBI established criminal prosecution on the procedural side. Victims were mainly located within the United States, so jurisdiction falls under the U.S. Southern District of California Federal Court. China, Myanmar, and Indonesia are the suspects’ background countries, but this operation did not disclose whether synchronized arrest actions were carried out in those countries.

In a statement, Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the U.S. Department of Justice said, “Scammers who target Americans from overseas—no matter where they are in the world—cannot evade the law.” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District added, “These scammers thought they would be safe by hiding on the other side of the planet. But their world has changed.”

Operation Level Up prevents $562 million in losses

This cross-border operation is a node in the FBI’s anti-pig-butchering “counterattack” work. As of April 2026, the cumulative estimated amount of potential victim losses prevented by the FBI’s “Operation Level Up” (Upgrade Action) is about $562 million—based on case totals where the FBI intervened and warned before victims made large transfers, stopping the remittances.

For the crypto industry, the signal from this operation is: cross-border law enforcement cooperation for scam structures like pig butchering—“online front-end + offline back-end”—has been gradually building operational workflows. Dubai, which has previously been viewed as a comparatively safe haven for scam syndicates, has seen that role shift with this large-scale arrest. Key follow-up areas to watch include whether the digital asset tracking of the relevant groups can further identify upstream money flows, the outcomes of prosecutions, and whether victims have any realistic chance of actually recovering funds.

This article, FBI leads a cross-border crackdown on pig butchering scams: Dubai arrests 275 people, 4 indicted in the U.S., first appeared on ChainNews ABMedia.