President Donald J. Trump has signed a new Executive Order aimed at strengthening the federal government’s response to cybercrime, fraud, and other online schemes targeting Americans.
The order directs federal agencies to review the operational, technical, diplomatic, and regulatory tools currently used to combat cyber-enabled crime, with a focus on transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) responsible for large-scale fraud operations. Administration officials have been tasked with identifying gaps and recommending improvements to prevent, disrupt, investigate, and dismantle these networks.
As part of the directive, officials must develop an action plan that identifies the organizations behind scam centers and cybercrime operations and outlines strategies to counter them. The plan will also explore establishing a dedicated operational cell within the National Coordination Center (NCC) to strengthen coordination across government and industry.
The Executive Order calls on the Department of Justice to prioritize prosecutions of cyber-enabled fraud and scam schemes, focusing on the most serious and provable cases. The Attorney General has also been directed to examine the creation of a Victims Restoration Program that would return seized or forfeited funds from fraud operations directly to victims.
The Department of Homeland Security will work with the NCC to provide training, technical assistance, and resilience support to state and local partners facing cyber threats. At the same time, the State Department will be tasked with engaging foreign governments and pressing them to take enforcement action against criminal networks operating within their borders. The order states that countries that tolerate such activity could face consequences including sanctions, visa restrictions, limits on foreign assistance, or the expulsion of complicit officials.
The move comes as cyber-enabled fraud and scams continue to affect millions of Americans. According to federal data cited in the order, U.S. consumers reported losing more than $12.5 billion to cyber-enabled fraud in 2024, with seniors suffering the largest average losses. Surveys also show that 73% of U.S. adults have experienced some type of online scam or cyberattack, and 87% of seniors consider online scams a major concern.
Officials say many of these schemes—such as ransomware attacks, phishing campaigns, impersonation scams, and sextortion—are coordinated by organized criminal groups operating across borders. Some operations are linked to broader illicit networks involving identity theft, coercion, and other criminal activities.
The order is part of a broader series of cybersecurity and online safety actions taken during the administration. In June 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at strengthening protections against foreign cyber threats and improving secure technology practices. The administration also issued guidance in September 2025 to help financial institutions detect financially motivated sextortion schemes.
Earlier in May 2025, the president signed the TAKE IT DOWN Act, legislation focused on addressing online extortion and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images and deepfake content.
The new directive centers on improving coordination and enforcement across agencies while increasing pressure on criminal networks responsible for cyber-enabled fraud targeting Americans.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)
Click Here For The Original Source.
