DOJ Disrupts 1.4M Scam Accounts with Apple, Meta, Coinbase, SpaceX in May 18-21 Operation, Freezes $3.8M Crypto

According to the U.S. Justice Department, federal agencies and nine private companies disrupted 1.4 million social media and email accounts linked to transnational investment fraud networks during "Disruption Week" operations from May 18 to May 21. Participants included Apple, Coinbase, Google, Meta, Microsoft, SpaceX, and others, with coordination support from law enforcement in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, and the U.K. The DOJ froze $3.8 million in cryptocurrency tied to the criminal schemes.

Coinbase independently froze more than $3 million in crypto assets, and Thai authorities arrested seven suspected scammers. The operation identified several fraud platforms for potential U.S. prosecution. According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, reported investment scam losses reached $7.2 billion in 2025, up from $5.8 billion in 2024.