The United States has unveiled a new global visa restriction policy aimed at individuals responsible for or complicit in cybercrime and cyber-enabled offenses, including cyberscams and sextortion, according to a statement issued by the Department of State.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move follows President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14390 on Combatting Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens, under which the administration is acting against what it describes as an unprecedented wave of online investment scams.
According to the statement, scammers, frequently orchestrated by Chinese transnational criminal organizations, defrauded US citizens of at least $10 billion in 2024 alone, while simultaneously fuelling corruption, money laundering, and human trafficking. American children, the statement added, have also been specifically targeted by offenders operating overseas in sextortion schemes.
The new policy, introduced under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, targets individuals responsible for or complicit in cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, including those involved in cyberscams and sextortion. Rubio said immediate family members of individuals engaged in such activities may also face visa restrictions under the policy.
The State Department said the administration would combine the visa measures with 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 individuals responsible for or complicit in such criminal enterprises, the United States is sending a clear message that it will pursue those who prey on its citizens,” Rubio said.
