Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Delivers Remarks on the Coordinated Actions of the Scam Center Strike Force Against[...]

Thank you. My name is Tysen Duva and I am the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. The Criminal Division is proud to partner with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and our law enforcement agency colleagues here today in announcing actions by the Scam Center Strike Force, which is part of the Homeland Security Task Force National Coordination Center - all developed based on President Trump's Executive Order.

American losses to cryptocurrency investment fraud continue to rise. The transnational criminal organizations running these operations, primarily in Southeast Asia, operate industrial-sized compounds. They traffic workers into the compounds under the promise of lucrative jobs, take their passports, and then force the workers to scam Americans, oftentimes under physical duress.

The Department of Justice and its federal law enforcement partners are more focused than ever on dismantling the criminal organizations responsible for causing the billions of dollars in losses to American victims. This Strike Force is an example of government at its best - multiple agencies collaborating to address this critical threat on behalf of the American public.

As criminal prosecutors, we are committed to identifying the scam compound operators, charging them, extraditing them, and successfully prosecuting them. The Criminal Division devotes substantial resources to this critical objective. These include the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS); the Fraud Section; the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section; and the Office of International Affairs.

We are also committed to seizing and forfeiting the funds stolen from American victims and returning them to their rightful owners. CCIPS, in particular, has worked with U.S. Attorney Pirro's staff to quickly seize hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of cryptocurrency before criminals could cash it out. Victims want perpetrators held to account, but they also want their money back.

In this overall effort, we all work with private industry. Southeast Asian scam compounds exploit U.S. infrastructure and platforms, which they co-opt for criminal purposes. When industry provides law enforcement with leads, it helps the Department take swifter and stronger actions against these transnational criminal organizations. When legitimate U.S. businesses closely review their operations and platforms, determine if they are unwittingly used as a tool for the commission of these crimes, and work with law enforcement, Americans win.

The criminal organizations using these facilities don't just target Americans. They also target citizens of our allies. We work with law enforcement around the world to shine a light on nations that harbor scam compounds. Together with our allies, we will disrupt and prosecute compounds out of existence.

The Criminal Division's work with the Scam Center Strike Force and Homeland Security Task Force brings together multiple components of the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, the Treasury Department, private industry, and foreign law enforcement. This is how we all have implemented President Trump's directives. Overseas fraudsters who target Americans may believe they cannot be reached, but we are working to ensure that these criminals cannot operate with impunity, no matter where they reside.

I want to encourage anyone who has been a victim of a cryptocurrency investment fraud or who has had a loved one who has been victimized, to report the incident to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. Victims of these types of crimes are often reluctant to report to the police. Reporting these crimes helps law enforcement connect incidents, which helps in the fight.

If you are 60 years old or older, you can also call the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This hotline will provide support to callers in reporting an elder fraud incident, including directing them to the right law enforcement agency. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Eastern). English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

Reporting these incidents is the first step. Your reports will help us bring those responsible to justice and prevent others from becoming victims. It takes all of us. Thank You.