US and UK strengthen cooperation against crypto scam networks

The new partnership aims to disrupt organised crime networks behind crypto investment scams while improving cross-border investigations and prosecutions.

The United States and the United Kingdom have launched a new joint effort to combat cryptocurrency and cyber-enabled investment fraud linked to international scam centres. The agreement brings together the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales and the UK National Crime Agency.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed on 3 September, authorities will share intelligence, pursue parallel investigations into common targets and coordinate decisions on which jurisdiction should prosecute overlapping cases. The US Department of Justice described the pact as the first international cooperation agreement specifically focused on disrupting scam centres involved in crypto and cyber-enabled investment fraud.

The initiative comes as losses from investment scams continue to rise in the US. FBI data cited by the DOJ showed reported losses from cyber-enabled investment fraud reached $8.65 billion in 2025, up 89% from $4.57 billion in 2023. Officials warned that the figures likely underestimate the true scale of the problem because many victims do not report fraud.