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Trump announces crackdown on crypto scams targeting Americans

Reported by Thenews
Oct 21, 2026· 2 min read
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Key Takeaways
  • • President Donald Trump is scheduled to underscore administration efforts to disrupt overseas crypto fraud syndicates that lure Americans into counterfeit crypto investments, as part of a cyber defense summit focused on prevention.
  • • The administration highlighted government asset seizures of fraudulent crypto investment schemes aimed at stopping online impersonation scams.
  • • According to an FBI agency report cited in the coverage, Americans filed more than one million complaints about online hoaxes last year, a 17% increase from 2024, with complainants reporting significant damages.
  • • Cabinet members expected to attend include Homeland Security Secretary Markayne Mullin, FBI Director Kash Patel, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Todd Blanche.
  • • Trump's March executive order directed the Justice Department to prioritize identifying and prosecuting scammers, and a later directive tasked the Department of Homeland Security with collaborating with private enterprises to monitor foreign cyber threat actors.
Summary
President Donald Trump is set to use a cyber defense summit focused on prevention to highlight his administration's efforts to disrupt overseas crypto fraud syndicates, according to reporting by The News International. These syndicates lure Americans into counterfeit crypto investments, and the administration intends to emphasize government asset seizures of fraudulent crypto investment schemes designed to stop online impersonation scams.

According to officials, Homeland Security Secretary Markayne Mullin, FBI Director Kash Patel, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Todd Blanche are also expected to attend the event. Cabinet participation signals the multi-agency nature of the effort, spanning law enforcement, homeland security and defense.

The coverage cites an FBI agency report showing that Americans filed more than one million complaints about online hoaxes last year, a 17% increase from 2024. The report also noted that Americans who registered claims reported significant damages, underscoring the scale of consumer losses tied to these schemes.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, in a statement about the investigation, said that "all actions by President Trump and his administration are taken in the best interest of the American people."

The initiative builds on earlier policy steps. In a March executive order, Trump directed the Justice Department to prioritize identifying and prosecuting scammers. He later directed the Department of Homeland Security to collaborate with private enterprises to monitor foreign cyber threat actors.

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Sources

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AlphaMaven summarised this story from the reporting below. Each link opens the original article.

Thenews Trump announces crackdown on crypto scams targeting Americans