Virtual Press Briefing with Andrew Bailey, Co-Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on industrial-scale scam compounds, nihilistic violent extremism, and[...]

MODERATOR: Greetings from the U.S. Department of State's Asia Pacific Media Hub. I'm Tim Johnson and it's my pleasure to welcome journalists to today's on-the-record briefing. Today we're honored to be joined by Andrew Bailey, Co-Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

With that, let's get started. Deputy Director Bailey, I'll turn it over to you for your opening remarks.

DEPUTY DIRECTOR BAILEY: Thank you so much. I'm excited to be speaking to you today from Bangkok, Thailand. I'm here in the region overseeing the great work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and its partners - the work that we are doing to protect Americans from afar.

I want to start by making one thing absolutely clear: When President Trump came to office, he said we will focus on America First. But America First does not mean America alone. And this FBI, under the leadership of Director Kash Patel, will leave no stone unturned to hunt down and bring to justice those that would harm America and her allies.

I'm here to discuss three of the most significant threats facing the world today. And those are industrial-scale scam compounds, nihilistic violent extremism, and transnational narcotics trafficking. While these threats victimize Americans daily, their deadly impact across Southeast Asia is growing at an exponential rate. Scam compounds steal families' hard-earned life savings with ruthless vigor. Online extremists, such as NVEs, cowardly seek to harm our children by preying upon their vulnerabilities. And cartels and their state sponsors of drug trafficking poison people for ill-gotten profit.

These criminals don't care what flag their victims live under. They target Americans and Southeast Asians alike. They profit from misery regardless of national identity. And we're at an inflection point. Humanity is pleading for help. And the FBI, along with our invaluable foreign partners, are leading the way.

We're taking the fight directly to where these criminal enterprises operate, because the best way to protect the American people is to confront these threats at their source. The best way to defeat transnational threats is through time-tested, trusted transnational partnerships. And that's what brought me to Bangkok.

Let me start by discussing scam compounds. Over the last several days, I've met with the Royal Thai Police and personally oversaw the tremendous work being done by the FBI through this invaluable partnership to dismantle these criminal enterprises. These enterprises are highly organized criminal syndicates and they're running industrial-scale fraud operations across the globe. They epitomize true evil. They do not distinguish victims based on citizenships or beliefs. They steal billions of dollars, exploit cryptocurrency, and mercilessly traffic in human beings. The mafia of the 20th century would envy the money, the resources, and the technology and infrastructure that these groups command today.

This is organized crime on a scale the world has never before seen. And we know that many of these operations are controlled by sophisticated criminal organizations with ties to China operating throughout Southeast Asia. As deputy director of the FBI, my message to these criminal groups is simple: We know who you are. We know how you operate. And with our law enforcement allies, we will hunt you down and bring you to justice.

But I also want to talk to you about nihilistic violent extremism. NVEs are the fastest-growing threat group seeking to hurt - and ultimately murder - our youth. I want to be clear that there are no borders when it comes to NVEs. These organizations thrive in digital spaces. They prey on isolation. They encourage self-harm. They glorify violence. And in some cases, they brainwash individuals towards self-harm or mass-casualty attacks.

A teenager sitting behind a computer halfway around the world can consume the same violent content as someone in an American classroom. These groups represent the evolution of terrorism. That's why international cooperation is essential.

Earlier this year, the FBI began sharing significant NVE intelligence with the Government of the Philippines through the FBI-led Anti-Terrorism Fusion Group. That critical intelligence identified juveniles exhibiting indicators of violent extremist behavior. Through the FBI's leadership and this critical partnership, the Anti-Terrorism Fusion Group conducted 14 operations and successfully saved 21 minors who were rapidly mobilizing toward violence. Those aren't statistics, those are lives saved and families protected and potential victims who will never know how close they came to tragedy. And that is exactly what success looks like - threats identified early, intelligence shared rapidly, and violence prevented before it occurs.

I also want to address transnational narcotics trafficking, specifically in fentanyl. Fentanyl is rapidly becoming the deadliest narcotic in history. It's killing Americans at a devastating rate and it doesn't stop at our borders. In the last year alone, the FBI seized 2,250 kilograms of fentanyl. To put it in perspective, that's enough fentanyl to kill more than 178 million Americans. That's more than half the population of the United States. The cartels and state sponsors responsible for trafficking this poison don't care who dies, they care only about profits.

That's why the FBI is aggressively targeting every link in the fentanyl supply chain. We're working with partners throughout Asia to identify and destroy the precursor chemicals that fuel this crisis before they ever reach cartel laboratories. We're supporting sanctions, enforcement actions, intelligence sharing, and we're targeting the criminal networks that profit from death.

To those trafficking in fentanyl, I will say this: The FBI, through its new anti-terrorism authorities provided by President Trump and his administration, will tirelessly work shoulder to shoulder with every one of our law enforcement partners globally to bring to bear the full might of our combined lawful authorities to neutralize you.

Whether we're talking about scam compounds, nihilistic violent extremism, or fentanyl trafficking, the FBI's mission is clear. We will protect the American people. We will defend our homeland. And we will take the fight directly to those who threaten us. The threats are global. The criminals are ruthless. But our partnerships throughout Southeast Asia are ironclad. And together, we will make America and the world safer.

Thank you for allowing me to present those opening statements.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much. We'll now turn to the Q&A portion of today's briefing.

Our first question goes to Adam B. of the Democratic Voice of Burma, who asks: "What role is the FBI playing in the Scam Center Strike Force, and how does it cooperate with Thai authorities and Myanmar ethnic armed organizations along the border to counter the proliferation of cyber scam centers targeting other countries?"

DEPUTY DIRECTOR BAILEY: Well, the FBI is a major contributor to the Scam Center Strike Force, both as a source of intelligence and as an actor to carry out enforcement actions against scam center operators and their enablers. Since the strike force's establishment in November of 2025, the FBI has worked closely with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia to disrupt the scam center operations. We've got FBI field offices across the country conducting multiple active investigations in conjunction with the Scam Center Strike Force.

Our FBI law enforcement attaches, or LEGAT offices, also facilitate investigations between FBI field offices and local law enforcement agencies and closely coordinate with the Scam Center Strike Force. FBI is working with the Scam Center Strike Force to target Tai Chang scam compound in Burma. The FBI recently seized a malicious website utilizing the Tai Chang scam compound to defraud its victims, and the FBI was able to seize approximately $30 million in cryptocurrency from the criminal enterprises associated with that compound.

Our LEGAT in Bangkok, Thailand, works closely with the Royal Thai Police Anti-Cyber Scam Center, who are doing phenomenal work to identify, disrupt, and dismantle scam centers in Burma, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. We view Thailand as a critical security partner, and Thailand serves as a regional hub for law enforcement cooperation in Southeast Asia.

The Royal Thai Police, as an active participant in last month's Disruption Week event, oversaw arrests of seven individuals in Thailand and opened several new investigations. The Royal Thai Police also hosted a scam center surge event in Bangkok to address the threat. And the strong partnership with the FBI's LEGAT in Bangkok and Thai authorities has really enabled the FBI to increase operational tempo rapidly by sharing intelligence, supporting investigations. And those investigations impact not only Thailand, but also the neighboring countries in Asia.

Our operational success is built on trust, and Thailand has proven to be an indispensable partner in protecting both American and regional security.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question goes to Danh Le of VnExpress, who asks: "Criminal networks are highly mobile and quickly relocate from country to country when pressured. Is the FBI strategy more focused on playing whack-a-mole with individual compounds or are you targeting a wider system and key kingpins?"

DEPUTY DIRECTOR BAILEY: Well, the FBI is using a strategic, intelligence-driven approach, and prioritizing investigations of major actors and scam centers in the region to identify the hidden networks facilitating and benefiting from the international scam center activity. Those networks include developers who create applications used to defraud victims, as well as the recruiters who recruit scam center workers under false pretenses and lure them into debt bondage.

The FBI certainly understands many line-level workers in scam compounds are human trafficking victims who are forced to defraud others. We seek justice on behalf of those victims as well as the victims being defrauded as part of the scam centers. And while the FBI does seek to disrupt and dismantle individual compounds when possible, those operations are part of a larger strategic effort to obtain evidence linking compounds to specific transnational criminal organizations. Throughout this strategic approach, we're going to identify and target the highest-priority and most prolific TCOs facilitating scam center activity by focusing on major threat actors and targeting linchpins in the criminal ecosystem.

I think that at the end of the day, the FBI is uniquely positioned, given its enterprise approach to criminal investigations, in order to seek out, to deny, to degrade, and dismantle these criminal groups.

MODERATOR: Our next question goes to Andrew Wong of The Straits Times, who asks: "How is the FBI working with partners or local law enforcement agencies in the region to combat scam centers and money laundering? What's the FBI's take on the proliferation of transnational criminal organizations in Southeast Asia and what's fueling the spread?"

DEPUTY DIRECTOR BAILEY: Our law enforcement attaches, or LEGAT offices, are heavily engaged with local law enforcement and government agencies to gather and share intelligence, to conduct joint investigations, to facilitate interviews with suspects and individuals who have operated or escaped from the scam compounds. And we forward deploy personnel to assist with evidence review. Some of the examples of FBI engagement within the region include

maintaining outstanding working relationship with the Royal Thai Police and its anti-cyber scam centers - last month, our Thai partners helped apprehend a wanted FBI fugitive responsible for scamming Americans and just last week arrested 63 more individuals involved in scam centers.

Our LEGAT office in Phnom Penh works closely with Cambodia's Commission for Combating Online Scams to disrupt and dismantle scam centers. And our LEGAT Manila coordinates closely with the Philippine Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, the Bureau of Immigration, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police, and the Philippine Department of Justice to attack scam centers from that perspective as well. And in May of 2026, our LEGAT in Singapore became the sole U.S. law enforcement representative to join the Singapore Police-led FRONTIER+ operation, which stands for funds recovered - Funds Recovery Operations and Networks Team, Inspiring Effective Resolution Plus. That's a collaborative platform comprised of representatives from anti-scam agencies from 11 different jurisdictions. And FRONTIER+ facilitates real-time intel sharing, joint operations, and coordinated enforcement against these transnational groups and financial fraud centers.

MODERATOR: Our next question goes to Jonathan Edward of INS News, who asks: "What are the challenges the FBI is facing coordinating with regional law enforcement, and what can be done to improve this? Also, what are the top threats or crimes in the region?"

DEPUTY DIRECTOR BAILEY: Well, transnational criminal organizations and scam center operations require effective coordination and cooperation. No single nation can go it alone. And the FBI has expanded its engagement throughout the region through the FBI's Law Enforcement Legal Attaché, or LEGAT, offices, and we're working with law enforcement, prosecutors, and government partners throughout Asia to build a unified front against these networks, whether the threat originates in a scam compound in the region, a money-laundering network spanning multiple countries, or criminal facilitators operating elsewhere in the region. Our objective is always going to be the same; it's to disrupt the network, protect the victims, and hold those responsible accountable.

The top two threats in Asia include transnational criminal organizations operating scam compounds and illicit precursor and synthetic opioid production.

MODERATOR: Thanks. Our next question goes to Dawn Tan of The Straits Times, who asks: "To what extent are transnational criminal groups from China involved in today's scam compound ecosystem, and how much cooperation are you receiving from Chinese authorities in tackling them?"

DEPUTY DIRECTOR BAILEY: Well, I think the use of the word "ecosystem" really says a lot, and it's precise and accurate. The Chinese criminal groups behind the scam compounds operate sophisticated transnational networks. They move people, they move money, they move technology and illicit proceeds across Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and beyond. These organizations have demonstrated a remarkable ability to exploit weak governance, exploit corruption, and exploit emerging technologies to scale their criminal activities globally.

Chinese criminal enterprises have been connected to various scam compounds across the globe. A few examples include criminal enterprises like the Kings Roman Group, the Prince Group, and the 14K Triad. The Kings Roman Group was previously sanctioned under the name Zhao Wei Drug Trafficking Organization. Chinese criminal enterprises like Kings Romans and 14K Triad have been active in the region for many years and involve a wide variety of criminal activities.

We've coordinated with MPS on several different scam investigations, and we've recently worked with the Dubai Police Department, the Royal Thai Police, and China's Ministry of Public Security in an investigation that led to the arrest of 276 individuals and the dismantlement of at least nine different scam centers that were using cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question goes to Gabriele Steinhauser of the Wall Street Journal, who asks: "What is your assessment of Cambodian authorities' crackdown on the local scam industry? Are you concerned that multiple alleged online scam bosses that have been sanctioned by the U.S. have not faced any legal proceedings in Cambodia?"

DEPUTY DIRECTOR BAILEY: Well, our LEGAT office in Cambodia has worked closely with the Cambodian Commission for Combating Online Scams, or CCOS, in order to share intelligence and dismantle the scam centers there. CCOS has provided our LEGAT with unprecedented access to raided scam compounds, and the evidence we're collecting from the scam compounds is remarkable.

Through that LEGAT relationship we're going to continue to emphasize the importance of cooperation and encourage the Cambodian government to intensify its efforts to disrupt and dismantle scam compounds. Our LEGAT will continue to expand collaboration with CCOS and the Cambodian government as a whole, but our focus is on disrupting and dismantling the criminal networks that operate these compounds, and protecting the victims.

So we're going to continue to encourage and support efforts to identify, disrupt, and continue to push forward and build upon the successes we've enjoyed thus far.

MODERATOR: All right, thank you. We have time for one more question today, and it will go to Kenji Kawase of Nikkei Asia, who asks: "Could you please elaborate on what roles the Chinese party state or affiliates of them are playing in the scam activities in the region? Have you identified new patterns in the criminal activities by Chinese players and agents in the region?"

DEPUTY DIRECTOR BAILEY: Well, the Chinese criminal syndicates behind many of these scam compounds operate a sophisticated transnational network. Again, they're moving people. They're moving money, technology, and illicit proceeds across the region, to include across borders from Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and even beyond. The organizations are remarkable in their ability to exploit weak governance, corruption, and emerging technologies to scale these criminal activities globally. It's an industrial revolution of scam - fraudulent schemes.

Our LEGAT offices are constantly engaging with local law enforcement and government agencies on scam activities, and we're going to continue to identify new patterns utilized by the TCOs, Transnational Criminal Organizations, throughout the region.

We've not uncovered evidence that indicates the scam compounds are operated or directed by members of the Chinese government, but we have discovered a clear link between Chinese criminal enterprises and scam compounds throughout Southeast Asia and beyond, and we're currently assessing these actors as financially motivated.

MODERATOR: All right, thank you very much, and that brings us to the end of the Q&A portion of today's briefing. Deputy Director Bailey, I'll turn it back to you if you have any closing remarks.

DEPUTY DIRECTOR BAILEY: I just want to thank everybody for their time. We take these threats very seriously. We take protecting the American people and defending the homeland very seriously and are grateful for our fantastic partners in the Royal Thai Police and across the entire region as we continue to address these three and multiple other threats that are evolving rapidly.

MODERATOR: Thank you so much. Thank you all for joining us today. We'll provide a transcript of today's briefing to participating journalists as soon as it's available. If you have any feedback or further questions, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. Thank you again, and we hope you can join us for another briefing soon. Take care.

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