US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that foreign nationals involved in cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime will be denied US visas, with restrictions potentially extending to their immediate families. The policy is intended to raise the costs for people behind online scams and sextortion schemes that target Americans, although its practical effect will depend on whether suspects need or seek access to the United States.

Rubio said scammers stole more than $10 billion from US citizens in 2024, highlighting investment fraud often linked to Chinese criminal organisations. FBI reporting indicates many cryptocurrency scams operate from Southeast Asian compounds, sometimes using trafficked workers, while financially motivated sextortion is commonly linked to West Africa and parts of Southeast Asia. The restrictions use an existing immigration-law provision allowing visa refusals where entry could have serious adverse foreign-policy consequences.