US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced charges on Oct 27 against six people, led by Malaysian national Chui Kok Wa, who prosecutors say ran scam compounds in Madagascar from early 2025, probably after moving from Cambodia. Scammers posing as women on dating sites got victims to connect crypto wallets to fake NFT investment sites, then drained them. The FBI tied about 74 wallets to about 800 victims who reported losses; the funds went to accounts tied to China-based actors. A prior warrant seized the scheme's websites.

Wa's phones held employment contracts with overnight shifts matching US hours, bonuses tied to stolen money and scam scripts. The Strike Force says it has restrained more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency and is expanding to follow scam operations to Africa, India and Europe. The Record reports Madagascar repatriated many suspects to China before the FBI could interview them, and that the charged thefts total more than $516,695.