The UK government has imposed sanctions on Xinbi, identified as one of the largest illicit marketplaces in Southeast Asia, over its role in supplying cryptocurrency-based services to scam centres that defraud victims globally while relying on trafficked labour. The platform is accused of selling stolen personal data used to target scam victims, as well as satellite internet equipment used to contact them. UK authorities say the sanctions will cut Xinbi off from the legitimate crypto ecosystem by restricting its ability to send and receive cryptocurrency transactions.
Stephen Doughty, Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, stated that the measures send a clear message that the UK will not tolerate scam centres targeting British victims or the human rights abuses carried out within them. The announcement signals an escalation in the UK’s efforts to disrupt transnational criminal networks operating through digital financial infrastructure. Officials framed the action as part of a broader international effort to hold such networks accountable.
The sanctions also extend to Legend Innovation Co., the operator of a scam compound known as #8 Park, which is linked to the Prince Group and is believed to be Cambodia‘s largest such facility, with capacity for up to 20,000 trafficked workers. Legend Innovation’s director, Eang Soklim, was sanctioned alongside other individuals, including Thet Li, described as a key lieutenant of Chen Zhi who managed the Prince Group’s international financial network. The compound was only recently identified by investigators.
These measures follow joint sanctions issued by the UK and the U.S. last year against the Prince Group and its chairman Chen Zhi. The UK government says those earlier actions triggered investigations and arrests across the region, as well as the freezing and seizure of assets worth over £1 billion. The latest round of designations builds on that momentum as authorities seek to dismantle the broader criminal infrastructure supporting scam operations.
Southeast Asia has become a significant hub for scam compounds run by transnational criminal networks, a threat that Interpol elevated to a global level in November of last year. These operations frequently depend on human trafficking and coerced labour to function. Amnesty International warned earlier this year that mass escapes from scam compounds in Cambodia had produced a humanitarian crisis.
International efforts to counter crypto-enabled scam networks have been expanding on multiple fronts. Taiwan indicted 62 individuals over the laundering of $339 million connected to Cambodian scam compounds, while the U.S. launched a cross-agency Scam Center Strike Force in November 2025 that has claimed approximately $580 million in cryptocurrency seizures and freezes. A joint operation called Operation Atlantic, involving the U.S. Secret Service, the UK, and Canada, has also targeted crypto fraud across borders.
The coordinated nature of these actions reflects growing recognition among governments that scam compound networks pose a systemic threat requiring multilateral responses. By targeting both the financial infrastructure and key individuals within these networks, authorities aim to reduce the profitability and reach of operations that have harmed victims worldwide. Further designations and enforcement actions are expected as investigations continue across the region.
Originally reported by Decrypt.
