Trump Targets Cybercrime as Crypto Theft Drives 30% of Losses

• Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum targeting foreign cybercrime networks.
• The White House says crypto theft represents about 30% of reported cybercrime losses.
• Vetted private companies can support government-led cyber operations against transnational criminal organizations.
  

  ---

President Donald Trump has signed a new National Security Presidential Memorandum aimed at foreign criminal organizations behind cyber-enabled attacks, placing crypto theft among the financial crimes driving pressure on U.S. authorities. The White House says Americans lost nearly $21 billion to cybercrime last year.

The measure gives federal agencies broader authority to coordinate cyber operations against transnational criminal organizations operating abroad. It also creates a channel for vetted private-sector firms to support government-directed efforts, including intelligence gathering and disruption.

Cybercrime cost Americans nearly $21B last year, up 26% YoY and climbing, with about a third of it involving crypto.

Today, President Trump signed an NSPM empowering the private sector to work with the U.S. government to go on offense against the transnational criminal orgs… https://t.co/MWVW3qYNQY

— Patrick Witt (@patrickjwitt) August 13, 2026

Trump Targets Cybercrime As Crypto Theft Expands

The memorandum, signed on August 12, focuses on criminal networks involved in ransomware, financial fraud, phishing, sextortion and impersonation scams.

FBI data shows the scale of the wider problem. Americans reported nearly $21 billion in cyber-enabled losses in 2025, while cryptocurrency-related complaints exceeded $11 billion. Investment fraud remained the largest category of scam-related losses, showing that digital assets are increasingly intertwined with broader online financial crime.

For crypto, that distinction matters. Public blockchains create transaction trails that investigators can analyze and trace. The FBI has already used blockchain intelligence in enforcement efforts, including Operation Level Up, which identifies potential cryptocurrency investment-fraud victims and warns them before additional funds are lost.

Public Private Cooperation Adds New Cyber Tools

The new framework places the Homeland Security Task Force’s National Coordination Center at the center of the initiative. Participating companies can share intelligence, identify transnational criminal organizations and propose cyber operations based on specific threats.

The administration’s March executive order had already called for an operational cell within the National Coordination Center to coordinate efforts against foreign criminal networks. The latest memorandum expands that strategy by allowing vetted companies to support cyber surveillance and cyber-effects operations under government direction. Reuters reported that participating firms must meet oversight requirements, including a $1 million bond or escrow.

For the crypto industry, stronger enforcement could reinforce legitimate adoption. Targeting theft and fraud without treating digital assets themselves as the problem can improve confidence among users, institutions and investors. The administration says protecting Americans from criminal exploitation supports responsible digital-asset growth.