US authorities seize fraudulent website operated by crypto scam compound in Burma

The United States Justice Department has seized a web domain linked to a scam compound in Burma that ran cryptocurrency investment scams.

Summary

• U.S. authorities have seized tickmilleas.com, a fraudulent crypto investment site operated from Burma’s Tai Chang compound.
• The operation was found to have ties with entities sanctioned by the U.S.
• Over 2,000 related social media accounts were removed.

U.S. authorities have shut down the domain tickmilleas.com, which posed as a trading platform but was actually part of a wider fraud operation run out of the Tai Chang compound, also known as Casino Kosai, in Kyaukhat, Burma, a Dec. 2 announcement from the DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs said.

Earlier in the week, the DOJ also seized two additional domains allegedly used by the scam compound to run crypto scams.

For those unaware, scam compounds are large buildings or complexes operated by transnational criminal networks. They often involve trafficked or coerced workers forced to carry out online scams. Southeast Asia remains a major hub for these operations, which are increasingly behind large-scale crypto fraud schemes.

Per the DOJ, Tai Chang was found to have direct connections with sanctioned entities like the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and Trans Asia International Holding Group. Both were recently designated as Specially Designated Nationals for their links to Chinese organized crime and their role in building scam centers across Southeast Asia.

“The seizure announced today is part of the D.C. USAO’s Scam Center Strike Force’s efforts to combat Southeast Asia scam centers at the highest level and prevent U.S. infrastructure from being used as instrumentalities of the fraud schemes,” an excerpt from the announcement said.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the seizure, the domain was designed to mimic a legitimate investment platform. It carried all the hallmarks of a functioning trading site, including fake dashboards, fabricated returns, and false deposits made by scammers to trick victims into believing their investments were real.

Once on the website, victims were even directed to download malicious mobile applications from Google Play and the Apple App Store, many of which were removed after the FBI notified the companies. Information provided by the agency also helped Meta shut down over 2,000 accounts across its network of social media platforms.

“Despite the seized domain being registered in early November 2025, the FBI already identified multiple victims who used the domain in the last month and were scammed out of their investments,” the announcement said.

As of press time, the tickmilleas.com website has been seized by law enforcement.

Crypto scam operations thrive in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam have become the breeding ground for online scams like pig butchering and fraudulent trading platforms, mostly run through scam compounds. U.S. authorities have taken action against several of these operations, which often rely on trafficked individuals forced to work in inhumane conditions.

Back in October, the DOJ seized over $14 billion worth of Bitcoin as part of one of the biggest financial takedowns in history, targeting Cambodia’s Prince Group, infamous for running large scam compounds across the country. Chinese-Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, believed to be the mastermind, was indicted as part of that operation.

Burma itself has witnessed a surge in cryptocurrency-related scams over the past few years. A Chainalysis report from last year found that romance scammers operating from the KK Park compound in Myawaddy siphoned nearly $100 million in crypto from global victims.