Operation Blackout has seized roughly $17 billion tied to global scam networks, according to FBI Director Kash Patel, who said the bureau is expanding its hunt for compounds that primarily target American seniors. The initiative combines overseas raids, asset seizures, and communication disruptions to combat criminal syndicates operating in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Patel told Fox News that the majority of targets are senior citizens, a group often vulnerable due to unfamiliarity with new technologies. Victims shared their experiences with the bureau, with one 71-year-old expressing gratitude for the agency's efforts and another describing watching a grandmother lose her life savings. The schemes typically involve criminals cultivating online relationships before steering victims toward fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platforms. Victims often believe their investments are generating returns until they discover they cannot withdraw their funds.
The operation has focused on massive scam compounds that Patel described as "towns" or "cities" where trafficked workers are forced into labor. In August, an operation at Cambodia’s O’Smach Resort scam compound, which spans roughly 200 acres, involved searches of 28 buildings over three days. According to the FBI, agents seized 113 hard drives, 15 computers, and 35 boxes of evidence during that raid.
To prevent further losses, the FBI runs Operation Level Up, a domestic prevention program that proactively identifies and contacts potential victims of cryptocurrency investment scams. The bureau reported notifying 10,406 victims and preventing an estimated $660 million in losses while seizing or freezing another $122 million in cryptocurrency. The FBI stated that 77% of the people it contacted did not know they were being scammed. The bureau also directed 99 victims to suicide intervention services, took down 584 scam websites, and forwarded 7,670 scam accounts to private-sector companies for action.
The geographic scope of the crackdown has extended beyond Asia. In September, a DOJ Scam Center Strike Force team that included personnel from the FBI’s Honolulu office assisted local authorities in Madagascar with dismantling 13 fraud hubs run by Chinese criminal groups. Officials processed more than 3,200 electronic devices during the action. Patel noted that this shift reflects a broader migration of these networks to central and sub-Saharan Africa, where the FBI said it is already pre-positioned to take them off.