WASHINGTON: The United States has introduced a new global visa restriction policy aimed at foreign nationals involved in cybercrime and cyber-enabled criminal activities.
The policy could deny US entry to individuals linked to online investment scams, sextortion, and similar cyber offences, as well as their immediate family members.
Announcing the measure, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the policy is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to combat cybercrime, online fraud, and predatory digital schemes targeting Americans.
Rubio said in a statement that President Donald Trump had made clear through an executive order that “his administration is taking action to counter an unprecedented threat from online investment scams”.
He added that online investment scams, many allegedly “orchestrated by Chinese transnational criminal organisations, defrauded US citizens of at least $10 billion in 2024 while also fueling corruption, money laundering and human trafficking”.
Rubio also said overseas-based sextortion operations have increasingly targeted American children, inflicting significant emotional and financial damage on victims and their families.
Under the new policy, visa restrictions may be imposed on individuals found responsible for or complicit in cybercrime and cyber-enabled criminal activities, including cyberscams and sextortion. Rubio said immediate family members of those individuals could also face the same restrictions.
The State Department said Washington would employ a broad range of tools—including sanctions, criminal prosecutions, asset seizures, extradition requests, and enhanced international law enforcement cooperation—to dismantle transnational cybercriminal networks.
“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,” Rubio said.
While the announcement specifically referred to Chinese criminal organisations allegedly involved in online investment scams, the policy applies worldwide and could affect nationals of any country found to be engaged in cyber-enabled criminal activities.
