DoJ Disrupts Southeast Asia Crypto Fraud Networks, Freezes $3.8 Million in Assets

The U.S. Department of Justice DoJ on Wednesday announced the results of a sweeping action undertaken by government authorities and private sector companies to combat cyber-enabled and cryptocurrency fraud targeting Americans. The "Disruption Week" operation began May 18, 2026, leading to the...

DoJ Seizes $61 Million in Tether Linked to Pig Butchering Crypto Scams

The U.S. Department of Justice DoJ this week announced the seizure of $61 million worth of Tether that were allegedly associated with bogus cryptocurrency schemes known as pig butchering. The confiscated funds were traced to cryptocurrency addresses used for the laundering of criminally derived...

Common Crypto Scams and How to Protect Your Funds in 2026

Crypto scams are surging worldwide, from pig butchering to fake trading platforms and deepfakes, draining victims while fraud teams struggle to keep up...

Revealed: Leaked Chats Expose the Daily Life of a Scam Compound’s Enslaved Workforce

A whistleblower trapped inside a “pig butchering” scam compound gave WIRED a vast trove of its internal materials—including 4,200 pages of messages that lay out its operations in unprecedented detail...

Researchers Uncover Service Providers Fueling Industrial-Scale Pig Butchering Fraud

Cybersecurity researchers have shed light on two service providers that supply online criminal networks with the necessary tools and infrastructure to fuel the pig butchering-as-a-service PBaaS economy. At least since 2016, Chinese-speaking criminal groups have erected industrial-scale scam cente...

Telegram Hosting World’s Largest Darknet Market

Wired is reporting on Chinese darknet markets on Telegram. The ecosystem of marketplaces for Chinese-speaking crypto scammers hosted on the messaging service Telegram have now grown to be bigger than ever before, according to a new analysis from the crypto tracing firm Elliptic. Despite a brief...

A week in security (December 15 – December 21)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: CISA warns ASUS Live Update backdoor is still exploitable, seven years on The ghosts of WhatsApp: How GhostPairing hijacks accounts Chrome extension slurps up AI chats after users installed it for privacy Two Chrome flaws could be triggered by simply browsing the...

Pig butchering is the next “humanitarian global crisis” (Lock and Code S06E25)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … This is the story of the world's worst scam and how it is being used to fuel entire underground economies that have the power to rival nation-states across the globe. This is the story of "pig butchering." "Pig butchering" is a violent term that is used to...

ThreatsDay Bulletin: $15B Crypto Bust, Satellite Spying, Billion-Dollar Smishing, Android RATs & More

The online world is changing fast. Every week, new scams, hacks, and tricks show how easy it's become to turn everyday technology into a weapon. Tools made to help us work, connect, and stay safe are now being used to steal, spy, and deceive. Hackers don't always break systems anymore — they use...

U.S. Sanctions Cloud Provider ‘Funnull’ as Top Source of ‘Pig Butchering’ Scams

Image: Shutterstock, ArtHead. The U.S. government today imposed economic sanctions on Funnull Technology Inc. , a Philippines-based company that provides computer infrastructure for hundreds of thousands of websites involved in virtual currency investment scams known as “pig butchering." In Janua...

Meta takes down more than 2 million accounts in fight against pig butchering

Meta provided insight this week into the company's efforts in taking down more than 2 million accounts that were connected to pig butchering scams on their owned platforms, Facebook and Instagram. Pig butchering scams are big business, with hundreds of millions of dollars involved every year. The...

Pig Butchering Scams Are Going High Tech

Scammers in Southeast Asia are increasingly turning to AI, deepfakes, and dangerous malware in a way that makes their pig butchering operations even more convincing...

THN Cybersecurity Recap: Top Threats and Trends (Sep 30 - Oct 6)

Ever heard of a "pig butchering" scam? Or a DDoS attack so big it could melt your brain? This week's cybersecurity recap has it all – government showdowns, sneaky malware, and even a dash of app store shenanigans. Get the scoop before it's too late! ⚡ Threat of the Week Double Trouble: Evil Corp&...

HuiOne Guarantee: The $11 Billion Cybercrime Hub of Southeast Asia

Cryptocurrency analysts have shed light on an online marketplace called HuiOne Guarantee that's widely used by cybercriminals in Southeast Asia, particularly those linked to pig butchering scams. "Merchants on the platform offer technology, data, and money laundering services, and have engaged in...

Chinese Nationals Arrested for Laundering $73 Million in Pig Butchering Crypto Scam

The U.S. Department of Justice DoJ has charged two arrested Chinese nationals for allegedly orchestrating a pig butchering scam that laundered at least $73 million from victims through shell companies. The individuals, Daren Li, 41, and Yicheng Zhang, 38, were arrested in Atlanta and Los Angeles ...

US Agencies Urged to Patch Ivanti VPNs That Are Actively Being Hacked

Plus: Microsoft says attackers accessed employee emails, Walmart fails to stop gift card fraud, “pig butchering” scams fuel violence in Myanmar, and more...

Four U.S. Nationals Charged in $80 Million Pig Butchering Crypto Scam

Four U.S. nationals have been charged for participating in an illicit scheme that earned them more than $80 million via cryptocurrency investment scams. The defendants – Lu Zhang, 36, of Alhambra, California; Justin Walker, 31, of Cypress, California; Joseph Wong, 32, Rosemead, California; and...

‘Pig Butchering’ Scams Are Now a $3 Billion Threat

The FBI’s latest Internet Crime Report highlights the stunning rise of investment-themed crimes over the past 18 months...

On Pig Butchering Scams

"Pig butchering" is the colorful name given to online cons that trick the victim into giving money to the scammer, thinking it is an investment opportunity. Its a rapidly growing area of fraud, and getting more sophisticated...

Pig Butchering Scams Are Evolving Fast

Investment schemes are ensnaring victims with increasingly compelling narratives and believable tech...