Meta has joined forces with the US Department of Justice, Microsoft, Coinbase, Starlink and international law enforcement agencies in a major operation targeting online scam networks believed to be operating from Southeast Asia.
The coordinated effort focused on criminal groups accused of running romance scams, "pig butchering" investment fraud schemes and law enforcement impersonation scams aimed at victims in the United States. Authorities also investigated networks accused of luring workers from Southeast Asian countries with fake job offers before forcing them to work in scam compounds.
The operation comes as Meta continues to face criticism over the prevalence of fraudulent activity on its platforms and allegations that scammers have been able to use paid advertising systems to reach victims.
Companies and police agencies share intelligence in Washington
Meta said representatives from the company, Microsoft, Coinbase, Starlink, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Royal Thai Police and law enforcement agencies from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand met in Washington, D.C., during the week beginning May 18.
According to the company, participants exchanged intelligence and shared investigative findings in an effort to identify connections between criminal activities operating across different online platforms and services.
Meta described the initiative as the first collaboration of its kind involving multiple technology companies working alongside international law enforcement agencies to tackle organised online fraud.
More than 1.4 million Meta accounts removed
The intelligence-sharing operation led to significant enforcement action across several platforms.
Meta said it identified and disabled more than 1.4 million accounts, pages and groups on Facebook and Instagram that were linked to scam operations.
Microsoft suspended approximately 20,000 accounts believed to have been used by fraudsters, while cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase froze more than $3 million in digital assets connected to criminal networks.
Starlink also disconnected thousands of internet kits after determining that they were being used in support of scam activities.
Investigation leads to arrests and identification of new scam centres
Authorities said the exchange of information helped investigators uncover additional locations that may be operating as scam centres.
Law enforcement agencies involved in the operation have so far arrested 63 suspects in connection with the investigation.
While participating organisations have not disclosed specific future actions, Meta said all partners remain committed to continuing their cooperation to improve online safety and disrupt criminal fraud networks.
Long-running battle against pig butchering scams
Meta has spent several years attempting to combat organised online fraud, particularly so-called pig butchering schemes.
In these scams, criminals build trust with victims before persuading them to invest money, often in cryptocurrency-related opportunities. Once funds are transferred, the fraudsters disappear with the money.
The company previously removed more than 2 million accounts linked to pig butchering operations as part of earlier enforcement efforts.
Criticism persists despite increased enforcement
Meta's efforts come against a backdrop of continuing criticism from users and researchers who argue that scam pages and fraudulent accounts often remain active despite being reported.
The company, however, says it has significantly expanded its anti-scam initiatives in recent years.
During 2025, Meta removed 159 million scam advertisements and took down 10.9 million Facebook and Instagram accounts connected to organised scam centres.
Deepfake scams and AI-powered protection tools
Meta has also pursued legal action against advertisers in Brazil and China over alleged fraudulent advertisements that used deepfake images of celebrities to direct users to scam websites.
Earlier this year, the company introduced new artificial intelligence tools designed to identify brand impersonation and celebrity impersonation scams.
In March, Meta rolled out additional safety features, including warnings that alert users when they may be communicating with potentially fraudulent accounts.