White House Order Targets Scam Centers, Calls for Victim Restoration Program
Summary
A U.S. executive order directs agencies to develop a 120-day plan against transnational criminal organizations and calls for a 90-day program to return seized funds to victims of cyber-enabled fraud.
Key points
- The executive order directs agencies to produce a 120-day plan to prevent, disrupt, investigate, and dismantle transnational criminal organizations behind scam centers and cybercrime.
- It calls for a Victim Restoration Program within 90 days to return funds seized, forfeited, or recovered from criminal organizations to victims of cyber-enabled fraud.
- An operational cell within the National Coordination Center will coordinate federal efforts across several departments.
- The operational cell may use commercial cybersecurity firms’ technical capabilities and threat intelligence to support attribution, tracking, and disruption.
- The order outlines possible sanctions, visa restrictions, trade penalties, and expulsions of foreign officials against countries that do not act against scam centers.
- The article says the FBI estimates international scam compounds steal about $12.5 billion from Americans annually.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Executive order establishing a federal response to transnational criminal organizations and cyber-enabled fraud.
- Impact
- The order directs agencies to produce a 120-day action plan and establish a Victim Restoration Program within 90 days to return funds seized from criminal networks to victims. It also creates an operational cell at the National Coordination Center, calls for coordination with commercial cybersecurity firms, and authorizes diplomatic and punitive measures against foreign governments that refuse to act against scam centers. These are planned measures; the article does not report their implementation.
People
Nicole TisdaleFormer director at the White House National Security Council who commented on the order’s coordinated response, consequences for countries sheltering criminal organizations, and victim protections.Sean CairncrossNational Cyber Director who said the executive order was released alongside the National Cyber Strategy to support a whole-of-government approach to transnational criminal organizations and scam centers.
Countries
Industries
CybersecurityThe order authorizes use of commercial cybersecurity firms’ technical capabilities and threat intelligence to improve attribution, tracking, and disruption of malicious actors.GovernmentThe Trump administration issued an executive order directing a whole-of-government effort to disrupt transnational criminal organizations and scam centers, requiring agencies to produce a 120-day action plan and