Federal prosecutors and FBI agents in Cleveland are planning to brief reporters Tuesday on what they describe as a major break in an international cybercrime operation that has been preying on U.S. victims. Investigators allege the network has caused “tens of millions” of dollars in losses, and the briefing is expected to bring together federal law enforcement and interagency partners to lay out what they say they have uncovered so far.
As reported by 19 News, U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer will be joined by leadership from the FBI Cleveland Division, the U.S. Department of State and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). According to 19 News, the station plans to stream the entire press conference live on 19 News+ so viewers can watch the update in real time.
The announcement lands as federal officials say online fraud is surging. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report found Americans lost nearly $21 billion to cyber enabled crimes last year, according to the FBI. In recent weeks, federal and private sector partners have moved to disrupt criminal infrastructure online, including actions that affected the NetNut/Popa residential proxy network, a takedown first reported by KrebsOnSecurity and followed by industry notices.
Federal prosecutors have been coordinating across agencies and borders as part of broader anti scam efforts. The Department of Justice described a recent “Disruption Week” that pooled government and private sector resources to interrupt scam infrastructure and freeze illicit cryptocurrency flows, according to the Justice Department. Locally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio has pointed to the Cleveland FBI's lead role in several international fraud probes, including indictments tied to romance fraud schemes, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
What Clevelanders Should Do
If you think you or a family member may have been targeted, save copies of communications and account activity, file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3, then contact your bank and local law enforcement. Businesses and nonprofits are urged to review logs, enable multi factor authentication and notify their financial institutions if they spot unusual transfers. The FBI Cleveland field office posts contact information and reporting tips on its website, or you can call the office tip line at (216) 522-1400, see FBI Cleveland for details.
What To Watch Next
Officials at Tuesday’s briefing may reveal whether arrests, indictments or additional asset seizures are part of the update, and whether more criminal infrastructure has been taken offline. We will be watching statements for any word of criminal charges or newly disrupted networks. For now, federal prosecutors are signaling that coordinated domestic and international actions remain a top priority as investigators follow the money and infrastructure behind transnational cybercrime networks.
