I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Erin West, a globally recognized expert, speaker and victim advocate leading the fight against the financial crime epidemic. As a career prosecutor, Erin was known for her pioneering efforts in tracing cryptocurrency tied to international fraud schemes and has worked closely with law enforcement to return millions in stolen funds to victims.

Erin now leads Operation Shamrock, a global initiative aimed at disrupting transnational scam operations, particularly those run out of industrial-scale compounds in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. Through strategic collaboration with governments, tech platforms, and financial institutions, she is driving awareness, accountability, and action to combat the growing scam economy and support scam victims worldwide.

Erin has been actively sharing insights from her recent travels to Asia on LinkedIn, where she witnessed the scale and growth of scam compounds firsthand. Below is an excerpt from our conversation.

Heidi Bleau: What was the watershed moment in your career that led you to the mission you're on today?

Erin West: While working with a high-tech task force, I came across a case involving a 30-year-old software engineer who lost everything in a romance-investment scam. His money was overseas, and law enforcement typically wouldn’t pursue such cases. But we knew how to trace cryptocurrency. We tracked his funds, found them at Binance, and ultimately got a judge to order their return. That moment changed everything for me—I realized there was an opportunity to recover stolen funds for victims who had lost everything. Since then, my career has taken a whole new trajectory.

Heidi Bleau: That’s not the typical response victims get from law enforcement. Many are told nothing can be done. Does that discourage people from reporting scams?

Erin West: Absolutely. Victims feel abandoned. These are law-abiding people who pay their taxes and do everything right, yet when they’re at their most vulnerable, law enforcement isn’t equipped to help. That’s unacceptable. We need to provide law enforcement with the tools and resources they need to train officers and increase bandwidth to tackle this crisis. We’re making progress, but we have a long way to go before victims consistently get the support they deserve.

Heidi Bleau: You recently traveled to Asia to see these scam centers firsthand. What shocked you most?

Erin West: The brazenness. No one is hiding what’s happening. These are full-scale enterprises operating in plain sight. In one city, a local was approached on the street and offered $1,500 a month—ten times what he usually makes—to work at a scam center. People are lured in because they need jobs. It’s similar to the drug trade, where young people are enticed by the promise of fast money and big profits. Why work for minimum wage when illegal activity pays so much more?

Heidi Bleau: So, recruitment for these scam centers isn't just limited to the kidnappings we hear about so much on the news. They're actively recruiting on the streets.

Erin West: Exactly. While kidnappings do happen, most people take these jobs believing they’re legitimate. They’re promised good pay, housing, and food. They arrive in Bangkok, get their passports taken, are bused hours away, and then realize they’ve been trapped. Some endure severe physical abuse, including forced beatings of coworkers who don’t meet quotas.

Heidi Bleau: Scams are a global problem, and recent reports out of the U.S., Canada and many other countries show that both losses and victims are increasing. Why can’t we contain the problem?

Erin West: Because we haven’t truly tried. Three years ago, when I started talking about this, social media companies dismissed it as “just romance scams.” Now, they understand the scale. Governments have been slow to act, but we’re making progress. Australia has shown this problem can be tackled. If we’re failing, we have only ourselves to blame.

Heidi Bleau: Australia is taking a broad approach to tackle the problem, involving banks, telcos, and digital platforms. Are we seeing a shift toward that in the U.S.?

Erin West: I hope so. Banks have been unfairly shouldering the blame while telcos and social media platforms have not been held to the same level of accountability. That’s changing. More banks are pushing for shared responsibility, and Australia’s model is influencing discussions here.

Heidi Bleau: Some governments are considering economic sanctions against nations harboring scam centers. Would that be effective?

Erin West: We need to use every tool available—sanctions, indictments, shutting off infrastructure, restricting access to victims on social media. The problem is massive, and we can’t afford half-measures.

Heidi Bleau: Thailand recently cut power to some areas on the Myanmar border suspected of operating scam centers, but they were back online within hours. Can disrupting infrastructure really work?

Erin West: It can, but action needs to be swift. When I first saw scam compounds in Myanmar, they relied on Thai cell towers. I suggested shutting them down. It took three years to act, and by then, they had Starlink. Same with power—they had massive generators ready. We must act faster. A good example: I noticed a concrete supplier in Thailand feeding these compounds. Four months later, it was gone. Did it stop construction? No. But it made it harder and more expensive. Disruptions must be constant.

Heidi Bleau: This issue isn’t contained to Southeast Asia anymore. Last year, Dubai police arrested nearly 500 individuals involved in a scheme to defraud bank customers. Were you surprised to see scam operations in places like the UAE?

Erin West: Very. Initially, I didn’t believe it, but I went there and saw it firsthand. Scam centers are expanding—Palau, Isle of Man, Ecuador. They’re recruiting in Africa. They’ve created an industrialized crime economy with virtually no friction. This isn’t going away; it’s only growing.

Heidi Bleau: If you had one wish to mobilize collective action tomorrow, what would it be?

Erin West: A national strategy. The U.S. needs to declare this a national security threat and take coordinated action. That would empower banks, law enforcement, and Treasury to act decisively. Right now, we have people tackling bits and pieces independently. Until we mobilize as a unit, we’re just throwing eggs at a skyscraper. We need a task force, leadership, and a clear plan to dismantle this industry.

Heidi Bleau: Thank you, Erin, for your time, your insights and all the work you’re doing to raise awareness to this problem.