The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently seized and shut down a website domain used for implementing cryptocurrency "pig killing disk" investment fraud. The operation is led by the FBI San Diego Division and aims to crack down on an international criminal network headquartered in Southeast Asia.

According to information released by the FBI, over 400 residents in the San Diego area have been victims of the scam in fiscal year 2024 alone, with estimated cumulative losses of approximately $90 million. Investigators pointed out that due to many victims not reporting the incident, this number may only be a part of the total loss.

Domain name is associated with Southeast Asian fraud zones

The domain name that was seized this time is tickmilleas.com. The investigation shows that the website is operated by a criminal gang located in the Tai Chang campus of Kyaukhat village in Myanmar. Just three weeks before this operation, the newly established "Fraud Center Strike Group" had just seized two other domain names used by the same group.

According to the testimony of the case, the "Taichang" park is associated with the Burmese armed group "Democratic Karen Renai Army" and Trans Asia International Holding Group Thailand Company Limited. On November 12th of this year, the US Treasury Department added these two entities to its sanctions list, accusing them of having connections to organized crime in China and operating fraud centers in Southeast Asia.

The fraudulent website disguised itself as a legitimate investment platform, luring users into depositing funds. Victims have reported that the website displays false high returns and deposit records, which is a typical "pig killing plate" technique. The website also guides users to download malicious applications from Google Play and Apple App Store. After receiving notification from the FBI, the relevant companies have removed some applications.

In addition, the "Fraud Center Strike Team" collaborated with Meta company to identify and ban approximately 2000 accounts related to the "Taichang" park.

This survey also successfully achieved early warning intervention. The FBI discovered that the "Taichang" campus had designed a scam against a resident of San Diego and issued a warning in a timely manner before his remittance to avoid property damage.