U.S. seizes scam site tied to Burma compound, a wake-up call for Southeast Asia’s expanding crypto fraud problem

The U.S. Department of Justice is speeding up its fight to counter cryptocurrency venture scam in Southeast Asia. Recently, it seized a website associated with the notorious Tai Chang scam complex in Burma.

According to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, the effort was aimed at tickmilleas.com, a duplicitous platform deceiving Americans with bogus trades and promising excessive revenues, steal their hard-earned money via cryptocurrency ventures.

This capture is a chunk of a bigger clampdown directed and spearheaded by the recently organised Scam Center Strike Force, a federal effort that synchronises law enforcement and interagency allies to pull apart elaborate deception grids.

The move comes less than three weeks after authorities shut down two other domains connected to the Tai Chang compound. The compound itself is tied to the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and Trans Asia International Holding Group Thailand Company Limited, both of which have been sanctioned by the U.S. for links to Chinese organized crime and scam operations in the region.

Tech companies have also joined the effort. Google and Apple removed fraudulent apps tied to tickmilleas.com, while Meta shut down about 2,000 related social media accounts.

Meanwhile, FBI agents have been sent to Bangkok to work with the Royal Thai Police in targeting the compound directly.

Authorities warn that these scams—often called “pig butchering”—lure victims with promises of huge cryptocurrency gains, only to defraud them. While many of these operations are run from Southeast Asian compounds, they heavily rely on U.S.-based social media and communication tools to build trust and steer victims toward fake investment platforms.

Experts estimate these scams can seriously impact local economies, sometimes amounting to nearly half of a country’s GDP, while collectively stealing $9–10 billion from Americans each year.

The DOJ says this ongoing crackdown reflects a growing international commitment to dismantle cross-border financial fraud, hold scammers accountable, and protect investors worldwide.