DOJ Scam Center Strike Force Seizes Xinbi Guarantee Wallets and Restrains $52 Million, Crediting Tether
Key Takeaways
- 01The DOJ Scam Center Strike Force announced action against Xinbi Guarantee, a Chinese-language scam-services marketplace on Telegram, on 9 September 2026.
- 02Two wallets holding about $12 million in vendor payments were seized, and restraint was sought for 47 more wallets.
- 03About $52 million in cryptocurrency was restrained in one day, raising the Strike Force’s total to about $938 million.
- 04The Justice Department credited Tether with helping freeze the USDT involved.
- 05The Strike Force is expanding beyond Southeast Asia, including the takedown of 13 scam centres in Madagascar.
On 9 September 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, led by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, announced new actions by the Justice Department’s Scam Center Strike Force against Xinbi Guarantee, a Chinese-language marketplace operating mainly on Telegram.
Authorities allege that Xinbi connected scam operators with vendors offering money-laundering services, fake investment websites and recruitment for overseas scam compounds. The Strike Force seized two wallets that Xinbi allegedly used to collect about $12 million in vendor payments and sought restraint of 47 further wallets associated with laundering on the network.
About $52 million in cryptocurrency was restrained in one day, bringing the total restrained by the Strike Force to about $938 million. Because the funds were held in USDT, the Justice Department credited Tether with proactive assistance in freezing them.
The Justice Department also said the Strike Force is extending its work to scam compounds beyond Southeast Asia, including the takedown of 13 scam centres in Madagascar.
The action shows how centrally issued stablecoins can be frozen at the issuer level once authorities identify laundering wallets. Exchanges and payment firms that touch USDT flows linked to scam marketplaces should expect related wallet restraints and information requests.