FBI Director Kash Patel has announced the major results of Operation Blackout, an effort targeting global investment fraud networks and the criminal compounds associated with them.
According to Patel, law enforcement seized more than $15 billion in crypto assets during the campaign (with some statements citing the figure of $15.2 billion). The operation led to the dismantling of dozens of scam compounds, the shutdown of hundreds of fake investment platforms (more than 500), the arrest of hundreds of suspects, and the rescue of thousands of human trafficking victims who had been forced to work in these facilities.
In addition, thousands of internet terminals were disconnected (one report mentioned around 8,000), and millions of scam-related accounts were taken offline. Authorities also warned more than 10,000 Americans before they lost money, which the FBI estimates prevented losses exceeding $500 million.
Patel emphasized that the operation was aimed not merely at catching individual scammers, but at destroying entire networks that profit from such schemes. He noted that among the results was the takedown of four of the world’s largest scam compounds.
Operation Blackout encompasses several related actions, including efforts against structures in Cambodia, the UAE, and other regions where organized groups engaged in investment fraud and other forms of online scams, as well as forced labor.