Six people face U.S. charges over an alleged NFT investment scam run from Madagascar that targeted Americans through dating websites. The Justice Department announced the case on October 27, 2026, alongside the unsealing of a warrant previously used to seize the operation’s fraudulent websites.
Malaysian national Chui Kok Wa is accused of leading the scheme and faces a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the Justice Department. FBI investigators linked approximately 74 cryptocurrency wallets to victims reporting losses in Maryland, Oregon, Nevada and Minnesota. That figure counts wallets, rather than individual victims.
The Record reported alleged thefts exceeding $516,695 and named the other defendants as Gislen Neukeu, Shamusa Ninsiima, Clement Mugiraneza, Merveille Mudacumura and Nicodemus Monyancha.
The alleged fraud turned dating-site conversations into requests to connect cryptocurrency wallets to websites advertising nonfungible token, or NFT, investments. Prosecutors say workers adopted fictitious female identities and encouraged victims to replenish their wallets while money was secretly removed. The department said stolen funds subsequently reached cryptocurrency accounts associated with actors based in China.
Material found on Wa’s phones allegedly documented how the operation organized that work. Prosecutors described scripts instructing employees to exploit victims’ feelings to secure investments, contracts rewarding workers according to the money stolen, and schedules aligning overnight shifts in Madagascar with daytime and evening hours in the United States. A staff roster recorded passport information, salaries, disciplinary actions and employees’ cryptocurrency wallet addresses.
Raids preceded charges, but interviews were obstructed
The Justice Department said affidavits unsealed on October 27 placed the opening of the Madagascar compounds in early 2025. The group had connections to Malaysia and China and likely relocated operations from Cambodia after law enforcement action there, according to those allegations.
In August 2026, an FBI team traveled to Madagascar at the invitation of its Ministry of Justice and Madagascar National Police. The department said the team helped local police dismantle 13 scam compounds, where more than 3,200 electronic devices were seized.
Access to suspects proved more difficult. According to the department, Madagascar sent numerous suspects back to China before U.S. investigators could finish their investigation, frustrating efforts to conduct interviews. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro requested cooperation and the extradition of all six defendants. The Record reported that their whereabouts remained unclear.
The investigation also involves 15 employees who say Wa trafficked and abused them. The Justice Department said it obtained a material witness warrant to interview those employees, who were believed to remain jailed in Madagascar. Their trafficking allegations remain unresolved.
