FinCEN Alert on Money Laundering Activity Associated with Digital Asset Investment Scam Centers

This FinCEN alert guides financial institutions in identifying and reporting money laundering linked to digital asset investment scam centers. It describes transnational criminal organizations operating scam centers, primarily in Southeast Asia, and cites reported U.S. victim losses rising from $907 million in 2021 to $7.2 billion in 2025.

Readers will learn how scam proceeds move through digital asset payments, on-chain laundering, and conversion into fiat currency. The alert identifies rapid transfers across wallets, use of mixers, and swaps across blockchains as laundering techniques. FinCEN instructs institutions to include “FIN-2026-SCAMCENTERS” in Suspicious Activity Reports and states that “no single red flag is determinative” of illicit activity. It also describes indicators involving guarantee marketplaces and stablecoin transfers.