Coinbase said it took part in a four-day operation in London from Oct. 6 to 9 alongside US and UK authorities aimed at disrupting West African scam networks and the services that support them. According to the exchange, its investigators traced illicit crypto activity, shared intelligence in real time, and helped support efforts to freeze assets tied to scam operations.
The company said the work was carried out with the US Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force and the UK’s National Crime Agency. Coinbase said the cases examined during the operation included fake cryptocurrency investment offers, criminals posing as police, and staged arrests conducted over video calls to pressure victims into sending money.
How Coinbase said the operation worked
In its account of the London operation, Coinbase said investigators tracked financial activity linked to scam networks and passed information to law enforcement and industry partners as the work unfolded. The company said that process helped authorities follow illicit funds and support asset-freezing actions connected to the targeted schemes.
Coinbase said its teams connected blockchain transactions with evidence drawn from fake online profiles, messaging accounts, and websites. By combining those findings with information held by other services, the participants were able to identify links between activities that might otherwise have looked unrelated, according to the company.
Schemes under scrutiny
Coinbase said the operation focused on several recurring scam models. These included fraudulent crypto investment opportunities, cases in which criminals impersonated law enforcement officers, and fake video-call arrests designed to intimidate victims into making payments.
The exchange described a broader pattern in which scammers use social media to find targets, messaging platforms to build trust, and financial services to move stolen money. Coinbase said the operation therefore brought together not only police and financial firms, but also technology and telecommunications companies.
US-UK coordination in London
The operation was hosted by the UK’s National Crime Agency in partnership with the DOJ’s Scam Center Strike Force, according to Coinbase. The company presented its role as part of a coordinated effort between law enforcement and private-sector participants to disrupt criminal infrastructure rather than treat each case in isolation.
Coinbase Vice President Leah Bressack said the company had seen similar coordination work earlier in the year in actions against scam compounds in Southeast Asia. She said that effort showed that joint action between industry and law enforcement can be effective.
What Coinbase says comes next
Bressack described the latest work as part of a strategy of sustained pressure on scam operators. Coinbase said criminal networks were expanding into West Africa as authorities increased pressure on their operations in Southeast Asia.
The company did not announce further enforcement results beyond the Oct. 6 to 9 operation, but its account indicates that continued cooperation between law enforcement, financial firms, and technology providers is the next confirmed step in the effort to track funds and disrupt related scam services.
Source: crypto.news