The United States has begun using offensive cyber capabilities to disrupt overseas scam centres as authorities report billions of dollars in losses among older Americans and intensify efforts against online exploitation.
At a White House roundtable on cybercrime on Wednesday, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the administration was deploying cyber weapons to dismantle foreign criminal networks under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. Officials have not disclosed the locations of the targeted centres or the operations conducted against them.
According to the report by IANS, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Americans aged over 60 lost $7.7 billion to cybercrime in 2025, with fraudulent schemes threatening retirement savings and personal finances.
Miller highlighted the so-called grandparent scam, in which fraudsters impersonate relatives in legal trouble and pressure victims to transfer money urgently. He said such schemes direct victims’ funds to criminal operations overseas.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the initiative involves the US Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, with intelligence on overseas cyber networks being shared with Homeland Security authorities. He also alleged links between international cybercrime syndicates and hostile military organisations, without identifying any countries.
Trump said a national security memorandum issued in August had mobilised private-sector resources to support offensive and defensive measures against hackers.
The administration also highlighted action against online child exploitation. Mullin said the Secret Service had recovered 14,600 child abuse videos and more than 35,600 images. He also cited the Homeland Security Investigations campaign “Know to Protect”, which educates families about digital extortion.
Trump credited First Lady Melania Trump for supporting the bipartisan Take It Down Act, aimed at addressing harmful online content. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the government was also confronting sextortion networks.
