Meta shuts down 150,000 Facebook scam accounts, 21 arrested in global crackdown

Meta, together with international law enforcement agencies, has dismantled large criminal networks in Southeast Asia that used social media to run industrial-scale online scams. The operation removed more than 150,000 fraudulent accounts across Facebook and led to the arrest of 21 individuals linked to organized fraud groups targeting victims worldwide.

The crackdown formed part of an international enforcement campaign known as “Joint Disruption Week.” It was led by Thailand’s Royal Thai Police Anti-Cyber Scam Center in partnership with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Justice Scam Center Strike Force.

Investigators from several other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and Indonesia, also contributed.

Meta said it disabled accounts directly involved in the fraud as well as profiles that supported the scam infrastructure.

“These operations cause real harm – they upend lives, destroy trust,” Meta said in its announcement, adding that combating scams “requires ongoing collaboration with partners across the tech industry and law enforcement.”

Authorities say the targeted networks were part of a sprawling ecosystem of scam centers spread across parts of Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. These operations often run like industrial businesses, with organized criminal groups coordinating romance scams, cryptocurrency investment fraud, and impersonation schemes designed to trick victims into sending money.

Global crackdown

The enforcement push builds on a previous disruption campaign in December that resulted in the removal of about 59,000 accounts, pages, and groups connected to similar scam networks on Meta’s platforms.

“Our work to combat scams is never done, and we will continue to invest in technology and partnerships to stay ahead of these adversaries,” said Chris Sonderby, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Meta.

The company also pointed to broader efforts to detect and remove scam activity across its platforms. In 2025, Meta said it removed 10.9 million accounts linked to criminal scam centers and blocked more than 159 million scam advertisements globally.

In November 2025, the US Justice Department launched the Scam Center Strike Force to target large online fraud operations, including investment scams linked to organized criminal groups operating across Southeast Asia.

In addition to these operations, the company also announced a new set of tools to help protect its users from falling victim to online scammers. These include new warnings for suspicious friend requests, advanced scam detection on Messenger, and more.