DOJ Seizes Tickmilleas.com — FBI Dismantles Burma-Based Fake Crypto Trading Operation
The U.S. Department of Justice seized tickmilleas.com after an FBI probe found it was a fake crypto trading platform run from the Tai Chang (Casino Kosai) compound in Kyaukhat, Burma. The site presented fabricated dashboards, fake transaction logs and coached victims on how to transfer funds, causing multiple users to lose money within weeks of the domain’s registration in early November 2025. Authorities described the operation as a “compound scam” — organised fraud run from enclosed compounds — a model that has spread across Burma, Cambodia and Laos. After FBI alerts, Google and Apple removed related mobile apps and Meta shut more than 2,000 social accounts used to funnel victims to the fake platforms. The DOJ also linked Tai Chang to previously sanctioned groups and organised-crime networks and stressed coordinated action with platform providers to disrupt transnational crypto fraud. For traders: this takedown underlines continued enforcement risk around on‑ramps and illicit platforms, the importance of verifying counterparties and apps, and a rising regional trend of organised ‘compound’ scams that can produce rapid, concentrated victim losses and reputational shocks for related crypto services.
Bearish
The news is likely bearish for affected crypto on‑ramps and smaller trading venues that rely on third‑party apps and social channels to acquire users. The takedown exposes enforcement risk and the vulnerability of user acquisition pipelines — factors that can reduce liquidity and user confidence in short term. Compound scams siphon funds quickly from retail users; revelations and platform removals can trigger fast sell‑offs by victims and risk‑averse traders. In the longer term, stronger enforcement and platform cooperation may improve market integrity, which is neutral-to-positive for major liquid coins but still poses reputational and operational damage to smaller services and any tokens directly promoted by the scam. Because the story concerns fraudulent platforms rather than a specific coin protocol, direct price impact on major cryptocurrencies should be limited; however, tokens tied to the implicated apps or promoted through the scam could see sharper downside. Overall the immediate market reaction for affected services is likely negative (bearish), while systemic long‑term effects are mixed.