Feds Takes Down SocksEscort Proxy Network Used in Global Fraud Schemes

A multinational law-enforcement operation dismantled SocksEscort, a commercial proxy service that covertly routed criminal traffic through malware-infected home and small-business routers. Authorities seized domains, servers and froze cryptocurrency after investigations showed the service advertised hundreds of thousands of IPs (about 8,000 actively infected by Feb 2026, ~2,500 in the U.S.) and was used in bank and crypto account takeovers, large frauds (including million-dollar losses), and other schemes; investigators continue forensic analysis to identify additional suspects and victims.