Scott Schelble, Deputy Assistant Director, International Operations Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Asia Pacific Media Hub

MODERATOR:  Greetings from the U.S. Department of State’s Asia Pacific Media Hub.  I’m Tim Johnson, and it’s my pleasure to welcome journalists to today’s on-the-record briefing.  Today we’re honored to be joined by Scott Schelble, Deputy Assistant Director of the International Operations Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

With that, let’s get started.  Deputy Assistant Director Schelble, I’ll turn it over to you for your opening remarks.

DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SCHELBLE:  Thank you for all the journalists who are interested in this topic.  I recently returned from official travel to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, where I met with senior law enforcement partners and saw firsthand the scale of the threat posed by transnational fraud networks operating in Southeast Asia.  What became clear is that Chinese organized crime syndicates running large-scale scam operations in the region are targeting Americans every day.  These are not small or isolated crimes; they are sophisticated, well-resourced criminal enterprises that exploit foreigners, technology, and vulnerable people to generate enormous profits.

The FBI, working closely with the Department of Justice, is fully committed to leading the global fight against these networks.  That commitment was the central focus of this trip.

One of the strong takeaways from my visit was the depth of our partnership with the Royal Thai Police.  And this is not a symbolic relationship; it is an operational partnership built on trust, information sharing, and results.  The FBI, DOJ Strike Force, and the Royal Thai Police work side by side, and together we have achieved real successes in disrupting these criminal networks, identifying victims, and targeting the financial infrastructure that supports these crimes.  And I have deployed FBI agents to work with the RTP directly and sit with that joint task force.

In Cambodia, I was pleased to discuss our mutual interest in combating scam operations with their senior leaders.  The FBI has partnered with the Cambodian National Police in a task force setting in the past, and my hope is to leverage the success from those investigations towards these scam compounds.

I also enjoyed some fruitful discussions with our Vietnamese partners at the Ministry of Public Security regarding scam compounds and other investigations that align with our mutual interests.

I also had the opportunity to observe several large scam compounds firsthand.  And even viewing them from a distance, it is impossible to fully grasp the magnitude of these operations until you see them yourself.  There are entire facilities dedicated to fraud on an industrial scale.  It fundamentally changes your understanding of the threat.  And behind these operations are real victims – often Americans who lose their life savings, and in many cases, there are trafficked individuals who are forced to participate in this criminal activity.  That human cost is why this work matters so much.

The message from this trip is clear.  The FBI will continue to pursue these syndicates aggressively wherever they operate, and we will do so in close partnership with trusted international allies.  Criminals should not believe that borders will protect them if they target Americans.  We know where you are and we are coming for you.

And with that, I would take some questions.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We’ll now turn to the Q&A portion of today’s briefing.  Our first question goes to Poppy McPherson of Reuters, who asks:  “Many people have fled scam centers in Cambodia.  Where is next for the industry?  Are they moving elsewhere inside the country or overseas?”

DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SCHELBLE:  Thank you for your question.  Well, in reality there are a multitude of locations.  These compounds can go anywhere next, and that really is one of the challenges with this problem set.  When law enforcement places pressure in one location, the perpetrators can simply continue to another area and invest the time, invest the money to set up a new compound – because the profit is so lucrative that it continues to incentivize the perpetrators.

I’d like to emphasize that unfortunately it’s not as simple as one location or another location.  This is very much a regional issue that no one country can combat alone.  When we look at Southeast Asia, this is not a Cambodian problem, this is not a problem – a Vietnamese problem or a Thai problem.  This is regional and it will require a partnered aspect and a coordinated aspect if we’re going to properly take care of it.  And that’s why partnership is the key.

MODERATOR:  Thanks.  Our next question goes to May Wong of The Straits Times, who asks:  “Nations like Cambodia and Thailand have tried to crack down on scamming centers, but based on your recent observations, is the problem more deeply rooted and what further actions are needed?”

DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SCHELBLE:  Well, May, thank you for your – for your question.  I don’t think I would describe the problem as deeply rooted in a specific country.  I would just – I would say more – it is highly profitable and accessible.  As long as there are illicit gains to be made and there is an ease to do so, the situation will likely continue.  And that’s why I sort of go back to the importance of this regional approach, this coordinated approach amongst the law enforcement agencies and nations.  The key is to make each area an inhospitable place for these compounds to operate.

MODERATOR:  Thanks.  Our next question goes to Eng Eng W of Lianhe Zaobao in Singapore, who asks:  “Has the FBI seen new methods or trends emerging from these scam centers?”

DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SCHELBLE:  Thank you, Eng, for the question.  From my recent travel to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, I think that those observations reinforced a real simple reality.  These transnational organized crime groups have scaled this crime set to an industrial level in Southeast Asia.  The magnitude is really that astounding.  In 2025, our Internet Crime Complaint Center, which we call IC3, saw over 80,000 complaints with monetary losses exceeding $2.9 billion in U.S. currency.  These are staggering figures impacting all of us, which really sort of signifies that this is truly a global enterprise.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question goes to Mohd Adli Shahar from the Malaysian National News Agency, who asks:  “How is the FBI coordinating with Malaysian police to share intelligence and dismantle the syndicates responsible for trafficking many Malaysians into these scam centers?  And also, is there a new data regarding the scale of Malaysians held in forced labor there?”

DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SCHELBLE:  (Inaudible) from the FBI.  The FBI places our law enforcement agents into our LEGAT stations throughout the world.  So Malaysia, obviously we have offices in Kuala Lumpur.  And the mission there is to work with partners within that nation on a crime set.  The FBI is fully committed to leading the fight against transnational fraud networks that target Americans, regardless of where those criminals may hide.  These syndicates exploit borders, absences of government control, and technology.  And our response must be as global, coordinated, and persistent as they are.

This is no longer just cybercrime.  It’s organized crime.  It involves human trafficking, money laundering, and corruption all wrapped into one, and it’s going to take that type of a cohesive, coordinated approach if we’re going to successfully mitigate these scam centers.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question goes to Sopheng In of the Kampuchea Thmey Daily, who asks:  “Thailand has stated that it is intensifying crackdowns on scam operations along the Cambodia border.  How important is cross-border coordination and mutual consent between neighboring countries when conducting operations targeting a scam network?”

DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SCHELBLE:  Well, thank you for the question.  Cross-border coordination between neighboring countries is extraordinarily important when targeting organized crime problems.  Like I’ve sort of indicated before, scam compounds are not unique to Thailand; they’re not unique to Cambodia, not unique to Vietnam or Malaysia.  These are regional problems, and these criminal groups are not bound by laws or geographical borders, and they operate with a degree of impunity because they take advantage of countries’ respective laws.

Partnership is the key.  Coordination is the key.  And as law enforcement agencies, we must use our abilities to coordinate and leverage our resources.  If these syndicates exploit borders, then we must be in a position to address that with a global and coordinated response.

MODERATOR:  Thanks.  Our next question goes to John Mangun of the Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing, who asks:  “What is being done on the U.S. side regarding citizen education about “pig butchering” scams?”

DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SCHELBLE:  (Inaudible) to empower anybody, any citizen of any country, to not fall victim to these types of scams.  The FBI has a Criminal Division which works with local law enforcement to investigate these pig butchering cases.  And unfortunately, as technology changes and evolves, so do these types of scams, so it is important that we stay adaptable and flexible to address the next variant of a scam.

The FBI has tried to take a very forward-leaning approach in educating citizens on these types of scams through public service announcements where we provide ways to identify the kind of suspect activity.  The FBI has identified potential ways individuals can recognize and deter this activity.  Some of these recommendations would include such things as verifying the validity of any investment opportunity from strangers or involving lost contacts on social media websites.

Be on the lookout for domain names that impersonate legitimate financial institutions, especially cryptocurrency exchanges. Things like misspelled URLs often with a slight deviation from the actual financial institution’s website may be fake.  Also, do not download or use suspicious-looking apps as a tool for investing unless you can verify the legitimacy of that application.  And then finally, if an investment opportunity sounds too good to be true, it likely is.  Be cautious of those get-rich-quick schemes.

We also ask Americans to continue to report to the FBI if they believe they are a victim of this scam.  Those reporting efforts are really key for the FBI to continue to address the problem.

MODERATOR:  Thanks.  We have time for one more question.  It will go to Emily Feng of NPR, who asks:  “Is the locus of these scam centers shifting among countries or even regions away from Southeast Asia?”

DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SCHELBLE:  (Inaudible) question.  (Inaudible) what I would say is there is no – there is no specific location.  I think our goal from a law enforcement perspective and from the sort of coordinated Strike Force aspect is to ensure that any region is an inhospitable place for these scam centers to operate.  This is not a problem that is unique to any country.  It is a regional issue that really necessitates a collaborative regional solution.  Every country should be relentless in the pursuit of these criminals, and I really believe that that is the only way that we are going to have a real successful impact these scam compound centers.

MODERATOR:  Thank you so much.  Now, Deputy Assistant Director Schelble, if you have any closing remarks, I’ll turn it back to you.

DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SCHELBLE:  Well, I just wanted to thank everybody for your interest in this crime problem and taking the time to participate in this call.  My sort of closing thoughts are one of resolve and cooperation.  The FBI is committed to pursuing these syndicates aggressively wherever they operate, but it’s not a crime problem that the FBI can do alone, and I’m fairly grateful that we don’t have to.  Our partnerships in Southeast Asia are strong and are unmatched, and every day that we work together we increase our effectiveness, we increase our collective knowledge and our collective capabilities.  And that is going to be a successful approach to addressing these compound centers.

Now look, the fight is far from over, but I think the message that I’m hoping to convey is clear:  The geographical borders will not protect criminals who target Americans and will not protect these crime syndicates who traffic individuals for money.  This is a problem that I think all of us are committed to addressing, and I’m very grateful for your time and interest in this very important issue.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you so much.  Thank you to journalists for joining us today.  We’ll provide a transcript of this briefing as soon as it’s available.  If you have any feedback or further questions, please feel free to contact us at AsiaPacMedia@state.gov.  Thank you again, and we hope you can join us for another briefing soon.

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