Key Highlights
- U.S. authorities seized more than 503 .com domains tied to crypto investment scams.
- The websites were disguised as investment platforms showing fake returns to victims.
- Operation Level Up has notified 8,935 victims and helped prevent an estimated $562.7 million in further losses.
The United States (U.S.) Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the seizure of more than 503 .com web domains allegedly used to defraud victims through fake cryptocurrency investment platforms.
The action was carried out by the DOJ’s Scam Center Strike Force, which is targeting Southeast Asia-based scam networks accused of running large-scale cyber fraud operations against Americans.
According to the DOJ, the seized websites were disguised as legitimate investment platforms. Victims were allegedly pushed to deposit cryptocurrency and were then shown fake “returns” to make the schemes appear real. In reality, the funds were routed to scammers.
Fake investment platforms targeted crypto victims
The DOJ said the domains were identified through Operation Level Up, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiative focused on warning victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud before they send more money to scammers.
As of March 2026, Operation Level Up had notified 8,935 victims of cryptocurrency investment fraud. According to the DOJ, 77% of those victims did not know they were being scammed when they were contacted by authorities.
The DOJ said the initiative helped prevent an estimated $562.7 million in additional victim losses. The department also said 93 victims were referred to an FBI victim specialist for suicide intervention because of the severe financial and emotional impact of the scams.
Seized domains now show law enforcement notice
Visitors to the seized websites are now shown a law enforcement seizure notice instead of the fake investment platform pages.
The DOJ said some victims had been preparing to liquidate retirement savings, sell homes, or take out large loans before being warned by the FBI. In one case cited by the department, an elderly victim had already paid scammers $1,200 and was preparing to send money needed for basic living expenses.
The domain seizure investigation was conducted by Operation Level Up, with the FBI’s Detroit and Phoenix Field Offices handling the seizure. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Marshals Service also supported the action.
Scam Center Strike Force expands crypto fraud crackdown
The website seizures are part of a wider DOJ campaign against Southeast Asia-based scam compounds accused of using fake investment platforms, human trafficking, and cryptocurrency laundering.
The DOJ said cyber-enabled and cryptocurrency investment fraud, often called “pig butchering,” has become one of the most financially damaging forms of cybercrime targeting Americans. In these schemes, scammers build trust with victims over time before persuading them to deposit funds into fraudulent investment platforms.
The department said reported losses from cryptocurrency investment fraud rose from $3.96 billion in 2023 to $5.8 billion in 2024. Reported losses increased again in 2025 to more than $7.2 billion, according to newly released Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) data cited by the DOJ.
The Scam Center Strike Force said it will continue identifying, seizing, and forfeiting funds connected to scam-related money laundering, with the goal of returning funds to victims where possible. The DOJ said more than $701.9 million in cryptocurrency allegedly tied to laundering from crypto investment fraud victims has already been restrained through legal process and voluntary action by crypto providers.
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