Washington, October 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Trump administration has begun using offensive cyber capabilities to disrupt foreign scam centres, US officials said, as authorities highlighted the growing financial toll of cybercrime on older Americans and stepped up efforts against online child exploitation.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller announced the initiative during a roundtable with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, describing it as the first use of offensive cyber capabilities specifically to dismantle, disrupt and disable foreign scam operations.
“So you have effectively declared cyber warfare against the cyber criminals, and that is saving the pensions, the life savings, the retirement accounts, the earnings of countless American citizens,” Miller told Trump.
Officials did not identify the scam centres targeted or disclose their locations.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said US Cyber Command and the National Security Agency were contributing intelligence and tracking data on overseas cyber networks to the National Coordination Center and Homeland Security Task Force. He also alleged links between transnational cyber syndicates and foreign militaries, without naming any country.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Americans aged over 60 lost $7.7 billion to cybercrime in 2025, warning that such fraud could wipe out retirement savings.
Miller cited so-called grandparent scams, in which fraudsters falsely claim that a relative has been arrested and demand urgent payments to secure their release.
Trump urged older Americans to seek help from trusted family members when confronted with suspected scams.
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 pointed to Homeland Security Investigations’ “Know to Protect” campaign, which educates families about digital extortion.
Trump said the administration was targeting sexual extortion networks and credited First Lady Melania Trump with leading a bipartisan effort to pass the Take It Down Act. Attorney General Todd Blanche said authorities were confronting the threat of sextortion.
FOLLOW NOW
