U.S. Treasury sanctions Burmese militia group over crypto pig butchering scams

By: bitcoin ethereum news|2025/05/07 02:45:01
0
Share
copy
The United States Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on the Karen National Army, a Burmese militia group, accusing it of orchestrating large-scale crypto scams alongside other offences. The sanctions were announced on May 5 in a press release from the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The press release revealed that the KNA has been at the center of a complex network of sophisticated digital fraud schemes, including the notorious crypto “pig butchering” scams. In these scams, victims are typically lured online through dating apps and social media, where scammers initiate prolonged, increasingly intimate conversations. Once trust is established, targets are induced to invest in bogus crypto projects controlled by the scammers. Over time, they are coaxed into committing increasingly large sums. The endgame arrives when the scammers vanish, taking the funds with them. Treasury’s press release explained that proceeds from these South East Asian crypto scams are often laundered through the Huione Group in Cambodia, which was recently designated a “primary money laundering concern” under Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act. Huione has been previously linked to laundering stolen crypto assets for North Korea’s Lazarus Group, and is alleged to have moved over $4 billion in illicit funds between August 2021 and January 2025. Its operations include a sprawling array of businesses such as Huione Pay, Huione Crypto, and a Telegram-based black market now rebranded as Haowang Guarantee. FinCEN also flagged the group’s USDH stablecoin, which is reportedly designed to evade law enforcement by being resistant to freezing. Source: https://crypto.news/u-s-treasury-sanctions-burmese-militia-group-over-crypto-pig-butchering-scams/

You may also like

Mining Companies' Great Migration: Some Have Already Secured $12.8 Billion in AI Orders

Mining companies turn to AI computing power, with no turning back.

What Is Vibe Coding? How AI Is Changing Web3 & Crypto Development

What is vibe coding? Learn how AI coding tools are lowering the barrier to Web3 development and enabling anyone to build crypto applications.

The parent company of the New York Stock Exchange strategically invests in OKX: The intentions behind the $25 billion valuation

Continuous cases show that cryptocurrency exchanges are becoming a battleground for traditional finance and tech giants, while also serving as an important stronghold for entering the strategic landscape of Web3.

WEEX P2P update: Country/region restrictions for ad posting

To improve ad security and matching accuracy, WEEX P2P now allows advertisers to restrict who can trade with their ads based on country or region. Advertisers can select preferred counterparty locations for a safer, smoother trading experience.

 

I. Overview

When publishing P2P ads, advertisers can now set the following:

Allow only counterparties from selected countries or regions to trade with your ads.

With this feature, you can:

Target specific user groups more precisely.Reduce cross-region trading risks.Improve order matching quality.

 

II. Applicable scenarios

The following are some common scenarios:

Restrict payment methods: Limit orders to users in your country using supported local banks or wallets.Risk control: Avoid trading with users from high-risk regions.Operational strategy: Tailor ads to specific markets.

 

III. How to get started

On the ad posting page, find "Trading requirements":

Select "Trade with users from selected countries or regions only".Then select the countries or regions to add to the allowlist.Use the search box to quickly find a country or region.Once your settings are complete, submit the ad to apply the restrictions.

 

When an advertiser enables the "Country/Region Restriction" feature, users who do not meet the criteria will be blocked when placing an order and will see the following prompt:

If you encounter this issue when placing an order as a regular user, try the following solutions.

Choose another ad: Select ads that do not restrict your country/region, or ads that allow users from your location.Show local ads only: Prioritize ads available in the same country as your identity verification.

 

IV. Benefits

Compared with ads without country/region restrictions, this feature provides the following improvements.

Aspect

Improvement

Trading security

Reduces abnormal orders and fraud risk

Conversion efficiency

Matches ads with more relevant users

Order completion rate

Reduces failures caused by incompatible payment methods

V. FAQ

Q1: Why are some users not able to place orders on my ad?
A1: Their country or region may not be included in your allowlist.

 

Q2: Can I select multiple countries or regions when setting the restriction?
A2: Yes, multiple selections are supported.

 

Q3: Can I edit my published ads?
A3: Yes. You can edit your ad in the "My Ads" list. Changes will take effect immediately after saving.

What are the key highlights of this year's Ethereum's most important upgrade, the Glamsterdam upgrade?

The Ethereum Race Against Time, Perhaps Truly a Quest for Revival

March 6 Key Market Update You Can't Miss! | Alpha Morning Report

.Top News: Recent Developments in US-Iran Conflict, Military Action to Escalate Further, Trump Rejects Soleimani's Son Taking Over Token Unlock: $W, $RED

Popular coins

Latest Crypto News

Read more