New Visa Restriction Policy to Deter and Dismantle Cyberscams and Sextortion

As President Trump made clear in E.O. 14390 on Combatting Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens, his administration is taking action to counter 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. American children also have been specifically targeted by offenders operating overseas for sextortion scams, devastating families and futures.

Today, I am announcing a new global visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This policy targets individuals responsible for, or complicit in, cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, such as those involved in cyberscams, and sextortion. Immediate family members of individuals engaged in such illicit activities may also be subjected to visa restrictions.

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. 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.

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