Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Thursday a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign nationals responsible for or complicit in cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime.
“This policy targets individuals responsible for, or complicit in, cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, such as those involved in cyberscams and sextortion,” Rubio said in a statement.
Certain immediate family members of people covered by the policy may also be subject to the State Department’s new visa restrictions, according to Rubio.
The Executive Order
President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year titled “Combatting Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens.” The order directs federal agencies to develop measures against foreign scam centers, transnational criminal organizations, and cyber-enabled financial fraud.
The Scale of the Problem
The administration is taking action to counter what it calls “an unprecedented threat from online investment scams.”
“Often orchestrated by Chinese transnational criminal organizations, scammers have defrauded U.S. citizens of at least $10 billion in 2024 alone while fueling corruption, money laundering, and human trafficking,” Rubio said.
“American children also have been specifically targeted by offenders operating overseas for sextortion scams, devastating families and futures,” he continued.
The Administration’s Response
Rubio said the 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.”
“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,” he said.
The Bottom Line
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new visa restrictions targeting foreign nationals involved in cybercrime, including cyberscams and sextortion. The policy follows a Trump executive order directing federal agencies to combat foreign scam networks. The administration says scammers defrauded U.S. citizens of at least $10 billion in 2024 alone. Immediate family members of those covered may also face visa restrictions.
