2026-01-11 18:28:30

U.S. Treasury Department Escalates Crackdown on Transnational Fraud Networks

Federal authorities are intensifying efforts to dismantle sophisticated fraud operations originating from the Horn of Africa. The Treasury Department has unveiled a comprehensive strategy targeting criminal networks that leverage digital channels and cross-border payment systems to perpetrate large-scale scams.

These fraud rings have increasingly exploited fintech infrastructure and emerging technologies to facilitate illicit transfers. The coordinated enforcement initiative combines intelligence sharing, financial tracking, and international cooperation to disrupt money flows and hold perpetrators accountable.

The move signals growing regulatory scrutiny of how payment platforms and financial systems can be weaponized for organized crime. As digital assets and decentralized finance continue expanding globally, compliance frameworks around fraud prevention and AML/KYC procedures remain under heightened enforcement focus.

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LayoffMiner

· 14h ago

The government is starting to crack down again, this time targeting cross-border scams. It feels like DeFi is about to be shut down. --- Here we go again, every time they talk about AML, KYC, compliance, compliance. Who cares? --- Now that the scam gangs are being targeted, those of us who play normally are also being implicated. --- The scammers over in the Horn of Africa are indeed rampant, but if this continues, will on-chain privacy still exist? --- They are going to investigate payment channels again. Exchanges must be feeling the pressure. --- I just want to ask, can they really track on-chain transfers? Or is it just another loud noise? --- It feels like the rules are getting stricter every year. Playing with crypto is like committing a crime.

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ProbablyNothing

· 14h ago

Damn, now on-chain money laundering is about to be under close watch? --- The US is starting to stir again. Is DeFi really going to cool down? --- This timid attitude is probably just to pave the way for CBDC... --- Speaking of which, why are there so many scammers? Isn't it exhausting? --- Is it another African problem? There are some dissemination issues. --- The compliance storm is getting fiercer. Who still dares to operate on the edge? --- Is that all? It was about time to intervene; there are too many fake coins. --- Does this news mean wallets will require real-name registration? --- Wait, fintech is also being implicated? That's too extreme. --- Instead of catching scammers, why not first regulate exchanges?

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gas_fee_therapist

· 15h ago

Here comes another crackdown on scams. When will they also arrest the run-off groups of certain exchanges?

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MEVHunter

· 15h ago

Regulation again? Honestly, it's getting harder to earn money in the mempool. --- Cross-border payments are being blocked, how much does this impact the arbitrage opportunities with flash loans? --- The compliance framework is becoming stricter, and gas fees need to be optimized to the extreme. --- Hacking the financial system and hedging on our chain are two different things, right? --- Wait, no, they’re blocking payment systems, but arbitrage bots in the crypto space might actually have a chance. --- Good relationships with mining pools mean they’re about to make a profit again, under this policy environment. --- Will the cost of sandwich attacks increase? It seems exchanges will be more defensive. --- The stricter the regulation, the more opportunities on-chain? That sounds like a bit of reverse logic.

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FUD_Vaccinated

· 15h ago

Here comes another crackdown on scam networks. Why does it always seem like these regulations can never keep up with the speed of scammers?

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zkProofInThePudding