appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Laura Zhou

The FBI and Chinese police have taken part in a joint operation targeting scam networks in Dubai, in a rare show of cooperation ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China.
Dubai Police – which led the operation dubbed Tri-Force Sentinel – said at least nine scam hubs were dismantled and 276 suspects arrested, most of them from Southeast Asia.
“The operation delivered a decisive strike against three criminal syndicates and dismantled nine fraud centres behind high-yield investment scams (HYIS), ‘pig butchering’ schemes, and virtual currency fraud, all of which are among the fastest-growing forms of financial crime worldwide,” according to the Dubai Police statement released on April 28.
FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on social media that the cooperation between the agency, Dubai Police and China’s Ministry of Public Security was “unprecedented”.
The US Department of Justice said three of the arrested were charged with federal fraud and money laundering charges in Southern California.

The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to crack down on Chinese nationals and others believed to be involved in scam centres accused of defrauding Americans, and more coordination with China to tackle these networks could be on the agenda when Trump meets President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday.
According to US government figures, Americans lost a record US$20.9 billion in cyber-enabled crimes last year.
While it was not clear how the three authorities worked together on the crackdown, Dubai Police said it carried out the operation “while enabling real-time intelligence sharing across borders”.
Chinese and American law enforcement agents have in recent years cooperated to investigate and prosecute crimes like drug trafficking. But observers say joint efforts to target online scams – which cause billions of dollars in losses in both countries every year – have faltered as geopolitical rivalry has intensified.
US officials have accused Beijing of using its campaign targeting cyber scams to expand its influence in Southeast Asian nations like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
Chhay Sinarith, a senior minister who heads Cambodia’s Commission for Combating Online Scams, said in an interview in February that the country’s anti-fraud cooperation with China and the US had largely taken place on separate bilateral tracks.


Stephen Olson, a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said strategic concerns could hold back efforts against fraud.
“Where and when possible, US and Chinese officials will be happy to cooperate in anti-scam operations,” he said.
“But given their geopolitical rivalry, there are a number of strategic concerns that could limit the extent of their cooperation, especially in Southeast Asia where the countries compete for influence.”
Olson noted that joint policing efforts could also involve divulging information about surveillance capabilities and techniques that they would prefer not to share.
He said the operation in Dubai might have been driven by practical law enforcement needs rather than a broader thaw in US-China relations.
“It doesn’t necessarily signal a sea-change in US-China cooperation on cyberfraud,” he said. “Both sides will proceed with caution.”
Alleged Chinese involvement in scams was labelled as a national security risk in a March report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
The report also noted concerns that more Americans were falling victim to such scams, as the cybercriminals behind them turned their attention to non-Chinese to avoid angering Beijing.
In March, when asked if Trump should raise the issue when he met Xi, commission vice-chair Michael Kuiken said: “Any time American citizens are being victimised by criminal institutions, my answer is yes.”


China hawks grumble over Trump’s lavish welcome planned for Xi state visit

China CEOs to likely miss Xi’s US trip amid thin summit expectations

China’s first lady Peng Liyuan projects glamour and soft power on world stage

China’s US dollar holdings

US-China relations

US and China in ‘unprecedented’ cooperation against scam centres in Dubai

Dubai Police said the joint operation “delivered a decisive strike” against three criminal syndicates. Photo: Shutterstock

The FBI director called the cooperation “unprecedented”. Photo: AFP

China stresses ‘equality, respect’ as Trump heads to Beijing for high-stakes Xi talks

Donald Trump (centre) walks to Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday en route to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: AP

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday as he departs for Beijing. Photo: AP

US first lady not travelling to China with Trump

US first lady Melania Trump and Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan hold up Chinese calligraphy written by students at Banchang Primary School in Beijing on November 9, 2017. Photo: AP

US first lady Melania Trump walks along the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall in Beijing on November 10, 2017. Photo: AP

US sanctions 9 mainland China and Hong Kong entities over alleged Iran military links

Those targeted are accused of enabling efforts by Iran’s military to secure weapons or “raw materials with applications in Iran’s Shahed‑series unmanned aerial vehicles (pictured) and ballistic missile programme”. Photo: Handout

Police raids reveal Indonesia as new hub for scam syndicates

Foreign nationals suspected of running an online gambling operation at an office building in Jakarta await transport after being arrested in the Indonesian capital on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Police officers stand guard before suspected online gambling operators are transferred following a police raid at an office building in Jakarta on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Equipment used at a scam centre in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, seen in March. Photo: AP

US slaps sanctions on Cambodian senator suspected of controlling scam centres

Equipment used at a scam centre in Phnom Penh in March. This year Cambodia has conducted the largest crackdown on scam bases since the crisis emerged during the pandemic. Photo: AP

A Thai soldier walks inside a workstation inside a compound in O’Smach used for scam operations, at the Chong Chom-O’Smach border crossing, on April 7. Photo: Reuters

News

China

Diplomacy

Nine fraud centres dismantled and 276 suspects arrested in joint operation between FBI, Chinese Ministry of Public Security and Dubai Police


Nine fraud centres dismantled and 276 suspects arrested in joint operation between FBI, Chinese Ministry of Public Security and Dubai Police.


US and China in ‘unprecedented’ cooperation against scam centres in Dubai

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Nine fraud centres dismantled and 276 suspects arrested in joint operation between FBI, Chinese Ministry of Public Security and Dubai Police

Nine fraud centres dismantled and 276 suspects arrested in joint operation between FBI, Chinese Ministry of Public Security and Dubai Police