Trump highlights crackdown on overseas crypto scams
- President Donald Trump highlighted US efforts to disrupt overseas criminal networks linked to cryptocurrency investment scams.
- FBI Director Kash Patel cited 20 dismantled scam compounds and at least $1.6 billion in prevented losses this year.
- The White House roundtable focused on online fraud, impersonation schemes and cybercrime targeting Americans.
US President Donald Trump said his administration had disrupted overseas scam networks, with the FBI reporting 20 compounds dismantled.
Americans filed over one million internet scam complaints in 2025, up 17% from 2024, according to an FBI report.
“Federal law enforcement has been able to warn over 10,000 Americans targeted for victimization, and we've prevented $1.6 billion in losses — at least — this year,” President Donald Trump said in a statement.
The administration’s campaign targets foreign criminal networks accused of luring Americans into fraudulent investments and other online scams.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said Trump “effectively declared cyber warfare against the cyber criminals.”
A March executive order directed the Justice Department to prioritise identifying and prosecuting online scammers, while later measures targeted foreign hacking groups.
The FBI reported Americans lost $11 billion to digital-asset scams in 2025, including schemes involving cryptocurrency ATMs.
The roundtable put overseas cybercrime and cryptocurrency-related fraud at the centre of the administration’s enforcement agenda.
