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The Trump administration took serious steps on Thursday to crack down on cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime like cyberscams and sextortion.
According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department announced a new global visa restriction policy targeting individuals responsible for or complicit in cybercrime or cyber-enabled crime.
“The Trump Administration is deploying every tool at our disposal—sanctions, prosecutions, asset seizures, extradition requests, and international law enforcement cooperation—to dismantle criminal scam networks and impose costs on those who enable them,” Secretary Rubio said in a press statement.
He continued, “By restricting visa issuance to those who are responsible for or complicit in these criminal enterprises, we are sending a clear message: The United States will go after those who prey on our citizens.”
Visa restrictions in this category could also potentially be expanded to the family members of those “engaged in such illicit activities,” according to the State Department.
Thursday’s action builds upon an executive order signed in March 2026, which directed Cabinet leadership to “combat cybercrime, fraud, and predatory schemes targeting American families, businesses, and critical infrastructure.”
The order specifically directed the Secretary of State to take steps to target such crimes by engaging with foreign governments and utilizing tools such as sanctions, visa restrictions, and the potential expulsion of complicit officials.
According to the FBI’s annual internet crime report (citing data from 2024), the agency received 859,532 complaints about suspected internet crime that year, with reported losses of more than $16 billion. The top three cybercrimes reported were phishing, extortion, and personal data breaches.
Additionally, sextortion remains a growing and dangerous threat in America, particularly among American youth. According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the organization received more than 50,000 reports of financially motivated sextortion in 2025, up from 36,000 reports in 2024.