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US Expands Sanctions on Prince Group Over Southeast Asian Scam Network

Americans lost at least $10 billion to Southeast Asian cyber fraud in 2024, a 66% surge that prompted the U.S. Treasury to sanction nine individuals and 26 entities linked to Cambodia’s Prince Group. The measures target the infrastructure facilitating large-scale digital asset investment scams and money laundering operations.

US Expands Sanctions on Prince Group Over Southeast Asian Scam Network
Photo: Business Person

The Treasury Department’s latest action expands on 2025 designations against the Cambodian conglomerate, which maintains diverse interests from banking to aviation. Officials allege the group relies on the Huione Group to launder proceeds from cyber heists and investment fraud. Treasury is moving to update its regulatory framework to include HPay Service PLC, a move aimed at cutting off the financial conduits used to siphon funds from U.S. victims.

Simultaneously, the Justice Department seized a cloud computing account utilized by Huione subsidiaries. This infrastructure served as a technical backbone for Huione Guarantee, a platform operating on Telegram to facilitate the sale of stolen credit cards, identity theft, and human trafficking. FBI Assistant Director Brett Leatherman noted that this seizure, part of Operation Riptide, disrupts the backend tools used by criminals to move and conceal illicit profits.

Key figures targeted include Hu Xiaowei, identified as the second-in-command to Prince Group leader Chen Zhi. Authorities state Hu manages a network of shell companies in the British Virgin Islands, including Future King Inc., to obscure the movement of assets. Chen Zhi, who was previously sanctioned, remains in Chinese custody following his extradition in January. The Prince Group did not respond to requests for comment, and its official website appears to have been taken offline.

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