Trump Takes Aim at Foreign Cyber Scammers

A sweeping federal initiative will deploy law enforcement agencies and private cybersecurity experts against foreign criminal organizations responsible for online scams targeting Americans.

Recently signed by President Trump, the National Security Presidential Memorandum authorizes expanded cyber operations against overseas networks engaged in ransomware, phishing, financial fraud, impersonation scams and sextortion.

The initiative establishes a program within the Homeland Security Task Force’s National Coordination Center, jointly overseen by the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. Vetted American companies will be permitted to assist with surveillance and disruption operations under federal supervision.

The action follows staggering nationwide losses. American consumers reported losing more than $20.8 billion to cyber-enabled crime in 2025, while 73% of adults said they had experienced an online scam or attack, according to the White House.

Long Island residents have seen the threat firsthand.

On the same day Trump signed the memorandum, Suffolk County detectives stopped a 69-year-old Hauppauge man moments before he purchased $466,000 in gold bars for internet scammers. The scheme began with a computer pop-up directing him to people posing as federal agents, who claimed his financial accounts were compromised. A bank fraud investigator alerted police before the transaction was completed.

A Valley Stream woman reported losing nearly $185,000 after contacting what she believed was Microsoft support. The scammers sent fraudulent Treasury Department documents and warned that she could be arrested unless she transferred money.

Earlier this year, a 92-year-old Suffolk resident was allegedly cheated out of $250,000 by callers claiming he had won an $18 million Publishers Clearing House prize but first had to pay taxes and fees.

Under Trump’s initiative, federal agencies can combine government intelligence with private-sector technology to locate overseas operations and disrupt them before additional Americans are victimized.