JUST IN: Feds seize $52M in alleged Chinese-run SCAMS

>> Lawrence: YOU ARE LOOKING AT. EVIDENCE COLLECTED FROM A U.S. CRACKDOWN ON SCAM NETWORKS IN. MADAGASCAR, CHINESE SCAM RUN. COMPOUNDS TAKEN DOWN. 400 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED AND. MORE THAN 3,000 ELECTRONIC. DEVICES WERE POSSESSED. THE FEDS SAY ABOUT $52 MILLION. OF CRYPTO-CURRENCY INVOLVED IN. THE SCAM MONEY WAS SEIZED IN. JUST ONE DAY. HERE TO DISCUSS DISTRICT.

ATTORNEY FOR THE DISTRICT OF. COLUMBIA JEANINE PIRRO, JUDGE, GOOD TO SEE YOU. >> GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO. >> Lawrence: HOW DID YOU FIND. THESE PEOPLE? HOW DID YOYOU GAME THIS CASE? >> THE STRIKES FORCE THAT I. CREATED IN WASHINGTON HAS ITS. TENTACLES ALL OVER THE WORLD. WE ARE IDENTIFYING SOME OF THESE. SCAM COMPOUNDS THAT ARE. TARGETING AMERICANS IN ANY WAY. IN CASE THAT YOU ARE TALKING. ABOUT, I ENDED UP DEPLOYING SOME.

OF MY PROSECUTORS TO MADAGASCAR. IN AFRICA WHERE, AS YOU. ACCURATELY SAY, SEIZURE OF. THOUSANDS OF COMPUTERS AND CELL. PHONES THAT ARE TARGETED AT. TAKING AWAY OF AMERICANS' LIFE. SAVINGS. OUR JOB IS TO DO EVERYTHING WE. CAN TO TAKE DOWN THESE COMPOUNDS. REALLY INDUSTRIAL LEVEL ATTEMPT. TO TAKE AWAY THE WEALTH OF. AMERICANS, MOSTLY AMERICANS WHO. ARE INVOLVED IN TRYING TO JUST.

MAKE A LIVING ON THEIR. RETIREMENT. AND SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE. ARE JOINING WITH THE PRIVATE. SECTOR AND WHETHER IT'S META OR. MICROSOFT OR BANKS OR STARLINK, TO SHUT DOWN THE OPERATION. NOT JUST TO GET THOSE CRIMINALS. WHO ARE RUNNING THEM, BUT TO. CATCH THESE THIEVES AS THEY'RE. TARGETING AMERICANS. I MEAN, THINK ABOUT IT. HOW MANY, LAWRENCE, AMERICANS. HAVE GOTTEN THESE MISTAKEN PHONE.

CALLS OR MISTAKEN TEXTS AND THEN. THEY DEVELOP A FRIENDSHIP. AND THEN YOU DON'T THINK --. BECAUSE AMERICANS ARE SO POLITE, THEY ARE TOO POLITE AND THEY. ENGAGE WITH THESE PEOPLE AND. MAKE FRIENDS AND AMERICANS DON'T. THINK THAT A SCAMMER IS GOING TO. SPEND SO MUCH TIME ENGAGING THEM. AND HELPING THEM WITH. CRYPTO-CURRENCY. --. >> Lawrence: IS THAT HOW THAT. WORKS? ARE THEY SENDING TEXT MESSAGES, EMAILS? >> YEAH. >> HOW ARE THEY CONNECTING WITH. OUR PEOPLE? >> THEY ARE CONNECTING WITH. AMERICANS, ABSOLUTELY. THEY SEE US AS VULNERABLE.

LOOK, HOW MANY AMERICANS DO YOU. KNOW, LAWRENCE, THAT DON'T. UNDERSTAND CRYPTO-CURRENCY THAT. WANT TO GET INVOLVED. THEY HEAR THERE IS A LOT OF. MONENEY TO BE MADE SO BY ACCIDET. THEY GET A TEXT MESSAGE, A. MISTAKEN PHONE CALL AND THEN. THEY HAVE A FRIENDSHIP. IF YOU ARE INVESTING MONEY ON A. FRIENDSHIP OR A PHONE CALL FROM. A TEXT MESSAGE, THAT'S A. MISTAKE. AND THE MESSAGE THAT I THINK IS. SO IMPORTANT FOR AMERIRICANS IS. NOT ONLY FOR THEMSELVES OR FOR. THEIR PARENTS, FOR THEIR.

CHILDREN, IS RECOGNIZING THAT WE. ARE BEING TARGETED TO THE AMOUNT. OF $20 BILLION A YEAR IN 2025. ALONE. I HAVE SIGNED MOUs WITH. FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS TO MAKE SURE. THAT WE E CAN MOVE THESE CASES. ALONG QUICKER. WE HAVE DISRUPTION WEEKS WHERE. WE GO IN WITH META AND MICROSOFT. AND GOOGLE AND OPEN AI AND WE. TAKE DOWN WORKING WITH THE. SECRET SERVICE, THE FBI, LEVELING UP, LETTING PEOPLE KNOW. THAT THEY ARE BEING TARGETED.

WE CAN SEE FROM THE ALGORITHMS. WHAT IS GOING ON AND WE SHUT IT. DOWN. I HAVE SEIZED A BILLION DOLLARS. SINCE I STARTED THIS STRIKE. FORCE. AND WHEN THE PRESIDENT MADE IT. CLEAR HE WANTED TO STOP THIS, PRESIDENT TRUMP MADE THIS A. PRIORITY FOR THE DEPEPARTMENT OF. JUSTICE. >> Lawrence: IT'S TRULY. INCREDIBLE. ONE THING I LIKE WHAT YOU ARE. DOING YOU ARE GETTING SOME OF. THE MONEY BACK. >> YEAH. >> Lawrence: THAT'S.