US UK Scam Centers cooperation just took a major leap forward after American and British authorities signed a landmark agreement aimed at dismantling the organized crime networks behind crypto and cyber-enabled investment fraud.
The deal brings together prosecutors and investigators from both countries under a single coordinated framework for the first time.
According to the official Department of Justice announcement, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales, and the UK's National Crime Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding on September 3, uniting the Scam Center Strike Force with its British counterparts.
Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Crown Prosecutor Stephen Parkinson, and National Crime Agency Director General Graeme Biggar signed the agreement at an event hosted at the residence of the UK's ambassador to the United States.
Pirro called the moment a continuation of the wartime alliance between the two countries, stating that standing together, the partners are invincible against transnational organized crime.
Under the terms of the memorandum, each side commits to running parallel investigations into shared targets, sharing intelligence on organized crime syndicates, and jointly deciding which jurisdiction should prosecute specific cases of mutual interest.
Officials confirmed that both countries had already identified overlapping cases before the agreement was even signed, suggesting existing investigative work will be consolidated rather than starting from scratch.
Source: BSCNews's report
Key elements of the agreement include:
Parallel investigations conducted into common criminal targets
Shared intelligence on organized crime networks behind these operations
Joint decisions on which country should prosecute specific cases
An in-person disruption operation planned with private industry partners in London for early October
Continued prioritization of cases tied to this specific threat category
This push for closer US UK scam centers coordination comes as reported losses keep climbing, according to the Justice Department's own figures.
Cyber-enabled fraud schemes accounted for almost 85% of all losses reported to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center in 2025.
Within that category, cyber-enabled investment losses alone rose from $4.57 billion in 2023 to $8.65 billion in 2025, an increase of 89%.
The Justice Department also estimates that fraud compounds more broadly drain approximately $10 billion from Americans every single year.
| Detail | Information |
| Agreement signed | September 3, 2026 |
| Signing parties | US Attorney's Office DC, Crown Prosecution Service, NCA |
| Key signatories | Pirro, Parkinson, and Biggar |
| Reported CIF losses 2025 | $8.65 billion, up 89% from 2023 |
| Share of IC3 losses tied to cyber-enabled fraud | Roughly 85% |
| Estimated annual scam compound losses to Americans | Roughly $10 billion |
| Next major joint action | London disruption event in early October |
The Scam Center Strike Force at the center of this deal was originally launched by Pirro in November 2025, specifically to target Chinese organized crime syndicates running scam compounds across Southeast Asia.
The task force already includes the FBI, the US Secret Service, the Justice Department's Criminal Division, the Postal Inspection Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations, alongside several regional federal prosecutor offices.
It also coordinates with the Treasury Department and the State Department and works directly with private industry partners.
The effort builds on an executive order signed in March 2026 directing federal agencies to prioritize cybercrime and fraud schemes targeting Americans.
This new US UK Scam Centers alliance marks the first formal international partnership of its kind specifically built to dismantle the organized networks behind cryptocurrency and cyber-enabled investment fraud.
With billions of dollars in confirmed annual losses driving the urgency and an in-person disruption operation already scheduled for London, the coming months should show whether this coordinated approach can meaningfully disrupt the criminal networks both countries have identified as shared targets.
This content covers financial markets and is for general information only. It is not financial, investment, trading, or legal advice. Crypto assets are volatile and can lose value fast. Always do your own research. Speak with a licensed financial advisor before making investment decisions.
