US announces new visa restrictions to target cyberscam, sextortion networks

WASHINGTON: The US Department of State has announced a new global visa restriction policy aimed at individuals involved in cybercrime, including online investment scams and sextortion schemes. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled the policy on July 23, 2026.

The policy is issued under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It targets individuals responsible for, or complicit in, cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, including cyberscams and sextortion, Rubio said.

Immediate family members of those engaged in such activities may also face visa restrictions under the new policy.

Rubio linked the move to President Trump's Executive Order 14390 on Combatting Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens. He said the administration is responding to an unprecedented wave of online investment scams, often orchestrated by Chinese transnational criminal organizations.

According to Rubio, these scams defrauded US citizens of at least $10 billion in 2024 alone, while fueling corruption, money laundering, and human trafficking. He added that American children have also been specifically targeted overseas for sextortion scams, causing severe harm to families.

Rubio said the administration is using every tool available, including sanctions, prosecutions, asset seizures, extradition requests, and international law enforcement cooperation, to dismantle criminal scam networks and penalize 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," Rubio said.