Coinbase Joins DOJ and UK Crime Agency to Target West Africa Crypto Scams

TLDR

• Coinbase took part in a four-day operation in London from Oct. 6 to 9 targeting West African scam networks.
• The UK’s National Crime Agency hosted the event with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force.
• Coinbase traced illicit funds, supported asset freezes and shared intelligence with police in real time.
• Targeted schemes included fake crypto investments, police impersonation and fake video-call arrests.
• The DOJ said U.S. losses from online investment fraud reached $8.65 billion in 2025.

Coinbase has taken part in a joint operation with U.S. and UK law enforcement aimed at scam networks in West Africa. The exchange shared details of its role in a post on Oct. 13.

The four-day operation, called Joint Disruption Week, took place in London from Oct. 6 to 9. The UK’s National Crime Agency hosted it in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force.

Other participants included the Tech Against Scams coalition and international law enforcement partners. Coinbase said African law enforcement partners also took part.

How Coinbase Traced Scam Funds

Coinbase said its Global Intelligence team followed illicit financial activity during the week. The team also supported efforts to freeze assets tied to scam networks and passed information to police in real time.

The company said it linked blockchain transfers with evidence from fake profiles, messaging accounts and websites. Combining these records helped teams find connections between activities that might look unrelated.

The schemes targeted included fake cryptocurrency investments and criminals posing as police officers. Some scammers also staged fake arrests over video calls to pressure victims into sending money.

According to Coinbase, scammers use social media to find victims and messaging apps to build trust. They then use financial services to move stolen funds.

Coinbase Vice President Leah Bressack said earlier work in Southeast Asia showed that “coordinated action across industry and law enforcement works.” She described the London effort as “sustained pressure.”

Coinbase said criminal networks were moving into West Africa as authorities pursued their operations in Southeast Asia.

Earlier Actions Against Scam Networks

The London event followed a Sep. 3 DOJ announcement of an agreement between U.S. and UK authorities. The deal covers joint investigations into crypto investment fraud and other online scams.

Under the agreement, investigators will share information, pursue common targets and decide which country should prosecute overlapping cases. The DOJ said reported U.S. losses from online investment fraud reached $8.65 billion in 2025, up 89% from $4.57 billion in 2023.

In June, Coinbase said it had frozen over $3 million in crypto linked to Southeast Asian scam networks. In that effort, Meta disabled more than 1.4 million accounts, pages and groups, while Microsoft suspended about 20,000 fraudulent accounts.

On Sep. 9, the DOJ said an operation against Xinbi Guarantee and its vendors had restrained over $52 million in crypto. Prosecutors said the vendors advertised money laundering and fake investment websites for scam compounds.

The Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network also flagged $12.7 billion in suspicious activity linked to digital asset investment scams. The agency said scam proceeds were usually converted into stablecoins, almost always USDT.

FinCEN noted that these totals do not directly measure victim losses. Some filings include attempted transfers or transactions reported by more than one institution.

Coinbase said investigative work from the London operation is still ongoing. The company said it will keep working with Tech Against Scams and law enforcement partners to target these networks wherever they operate next.

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