US Justice Department Seizes Domain Linked to Burma-Based Crypto Scam

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the seizure of a key website domain used by a scandalous cybercriminal operation in Southeast Asia. According to the agency’s recent press release statement, the seized web domain belonged to an enterprise called the Tai Chang scam compound.

This seizure is part of an aggressive campaign by the agency’s newly launched Scam Center Strike Force. The DOJ noted that the SCSF has already taken down an existing Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud (CIF) enterprise that had already duped several Americans.

It is worth noting that this action underscores the government’s increased focus on tackling industrial-scale fraud enterprises—often connected to Chinese organized cybercrime. The agency noted that these Chinese groups looted billions of dollars from victims globally by capitalizing on the United States’ online infrastructure.

The Seized Digital Infrastructure

According to the DOJ’s statement, the confiscated web domain was an extremely convincing copy of a legitimate crypto investment website. The PR report found that fraudsters ran their operations from the Tai Chang scam compound in Kyaukhat, Burma. The scammers defrauded thousands of unsuspecting victims, deceiving them into thinking they were partaking in legitimate crypto investments.

An affidavit backing the seizure found that the scammers would, at first, win the victim’s trust, which is a central technique to the “pig bitchering” scourge. Then, they would lure them into depositing funds into the platform. After that, the platform would display fake profits and deposits, fooling the victims into committing more funds.

Notably, FBI officers, collaborating with the DOJ, located several victims whom this exact domain had previously duped. Currently, users attempting to visit the website will encounter an official law enforcement display page, which adequately terminates the main mechanism for the fraud.

In addition, this crackdown goes beyond the scam site itself. The FBI alerted mobile app marketplaces and social media websites, according to the provided details. Furthermore, Meta (previously called Facebook) voluntarily shut down more than 2,000 accounts connected to the Tai Chang enterprise. Google and Apple have also taken down multiple scam mobile apps that the website domain had lured victims to download.

This legal and platform action by tech giants complements other aggressive tactics, such as Google’s recent lawsuit against Chinese hackers aimed at establishing legal precedents in the scam fight. Google and Apple have also taken down multiple scam mobile apps that the website domain had lured victims to download.

This organized effort underscores the successful collaboration of resources from both the public and private sectors to tackle advanced cross-border cybercrime networks.

Tackling the ‘Pig Butchering’ Scam

Otherwise called Casino Kosai, the Tai Chang compound doesn’t operate as an independent incident, but is among the worldwide growth in “pig-butchering” fraudulent schemes. Threat actors ‘fatten up’ victims with fake promises and attention before ‘butchering’ them by looting all their invested funds, which is why it is called this way.

Notably, the Department of the Treasury has connected the Tai Chang scam compound to the Burmese insurgent gang Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, and other criminal entities. Transnational organized cybercriminals allegedly use the scam compound to build massive, illegal profit streams