State Department imposes visa restrictions on foreign cyber scammers
The State Department on Thursday announced new visa restrictions for individuals linked to foreign cybercrime networks and their immediate family members.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement on the policy came on his final day of a trip to the Philippines for general meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The region is known as a hotbed for industrial-scale scam centers.
FBI Director Kash Patel met separately this week with leaders in the region to discuss combatting those operations. Rubio also discussed scam centers with the Cambodia’s foreign minister on Thursday, the State Department said.
The new visa restrictions target individuals “responsible for, or complicit in, cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, such as those involved in cyberscams, and sextortion,” Rubio said Thursday.
The policy change follows President Donald Trump’s March executive order on fighting cybercrime, fraud and predatory schemes.
Rubio noted that “Chinese transnational criminal groups” are often behind the scam operations, which include human trafficking and money laundering. The U.S. government estimates they cost Americans $10 billion alone in 2024.
A report published this week by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said the region’s syndicates have only grown more sophisticated and interconnected in recent years, “integrating drug production and distribution, cyber-enabled fraud, trafficking in persons, underground banking, and real estate investment within shared operational and financial infrastructure.”
Rubio said that 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 are not a new tactic for the State Department.
In February 2024, the agency announced visa restrictions for people “involved in the misuse of commercial spyware,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the time. That policy also targeted immediate family members of bad actors.
References in this story
- New Visa Restriction Policy to Deter and Dismantle Cyberscams and Sextortion - United States Department of State www.state.gov 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…
- FBI chief hold talks in Cambodia over closer security cooperation to combat online scam crimes abcnews.com FBI Director Kash Patel has met with Cambodia's prime minister to discuss how to tackle online scams targeting victims worldwide
- Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak - United States Department of… www.state.gov The below is attributable to Spokesperson Tommy Pigott: Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn in Manila to discuss U.S.-Cambodia cooperation, both…
- White House floats Victims Restoration Program for millions affected by cyber fraud therecord.media An executive order calls for the creation of a Victim Restoration Program in 90 days that will provide “restoration or remission to victims of cyber-enabled fraud schemes from funds clawed back, forfeited, or seized…
- US announces visa restriction policy targeting spyware abuses therecord.media The new visa restriction policy will be used against those “believed to facilitate or derive financial benefit from the misuse of commercial spyware,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
- Advanced Cyber Threat Intelligence | Recorded Future www.recordedfuture.com Get real-time, actionable cyber threat intelligence with Recorded Future. Mitigate cyber risks, prioritize threats, and proactively secure your business.
- Suzanne Smalley (@suzannesmalley.bsky.social) bsky.app Reporter covering digital privacy and cybersecurity policy for The Record. Mom. Pub trivia queen. Crossword enthusiast. Literary fiction connoisseur. Idiosyncratic. Signal: Suzanne.236 Email…
