I Was Trapped in Chinese Mafia Crypto Slavery
WIRED | It began with a message journalist Andy Greenberg’s inbox. A computer engineer from India was trapped far from home and forced to work 15-hour shifts running romance scams.
What the Hack: Asian Scam Compounds, Part 1
What the Hack? | The scam industry relies on organized crime, human trafficking, and corruption. Erin West, Jake Sims, and Gary Warner share their insights and expertise.
Paid by Seniors: Stopping the Surge of International Scams
US Senate Special Committee on Aging | The hearing highlights large-scale online fraud operations that steal billions from Americans and discusses solutions to address them.
Why Financial Crime Persists in an AI-enabled World
Finextra | Crime organizations take full advantage of generative AI tools to run their operations at massive scale.
Scammers Use Fraud Alert Text to Steal Woman’s Life Savings
KHOU-11 | It looked like a typical text alert from her bank warning her of suspicious charges on her account. She replied “no,” and the scammers got to work.
34 Arrests in Action against ‘Black Axe’ Criminal Network
Europol | The Spanish National Police, working with the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office, disrupted operations of the “Black Axe” international criminal organization.
The Structural Technology Gap in American Law Enforcement
Criminal networks are quick to apply new technology — like AI — to activities such as scams and fraud. Meanwhile, law enforcement faces 10- to 15-year implementation timelines.
Bitcoin ATM fraud hits record $333 million: FBI
Business Insider | The FBI reports that scammers stole more than $333 million from victims using Bitcoin ATM fraud in 2025.
The World Is Failing Cambodia – and Everyone Is Suffering
The Diplomat | Jacob Sims writes that Western strategic missteps, absent U.N. accountability, a gutted civil society, and Thai aggression are providing cover for a Hun Sen’s weakened leadership.
Inside Palau’s Hotel Scam Centers
OCCRP | When police raided hotel sites in Palau, they encountered scenes that looked much like those inside the scam compounds in Myanmar and Southeast Asia.
How Chinese Money Launderers Move Criminal Profits
Wall Street Journal | Chinese money launderers have moved more than $300 billion in illicit transactions through U.S. banks and other financial institutions in recent years.
Meta Tolerates Rampant Ad Fraud to Safeguard Billions in Revenue
Reuters | Meta accepted high levels of fraudulent ads from China in order to minimize the “revenue impact” of preventing scam ads.
Trafficking victims scam under threat of violence
CTV News | An investigation looks into why the people making scam calls targeting Canadians seem to be so willing to scam people out of their life savings.
‘I was heartbroken’: Two Canadians lose $2.3 million to crypto scams
W5 | Canadians are being aggressively targeted by scammers using AI-generated videos and images to get them to invest in cryptocurrency scams.
New California Innovation Council and AI Initiatives
CA.gov | Governor Gavin Newsom has named Erin West, founder of Operation Shamrock, to the California Innovation Council’s Countering Tech Fraud working group.
Seizing Crypto: A New Frontier in Global Asset Recovery
Chainalysis | Asset Reality’s Aidan Larkin and Hugo Hoyland discuss solutions to manage seized digital assets and their strategic partnership with Operation Shamrock.
Inside the ‘Scamdemic’ with Operation Shamrock
Asset Reality | CEO Aidan Larkin sits down with Erin West and Matthew Hogan of Operation Shamrock to talk about the global scamdemic that’s devastating victims and fueling organized crime,
Scams, billions lost, and how Meta is turning a blind eye
Hard Reset | Tech both enables and profits from the scam industry. Billionaire leaders have some of the world’s most advanced tech, yet do little to stop scams or support victims.