Donald Trump opens the door to a new form of response against foreign criminal networks. In a memo signed on August 12, 2026, the American president authorizes certain approved private companies to participate in cyber operations under federal supervision. Crypto scam networks are among the targets, but the precise rules for these interventions have yet to be written.
In brief
- The program will be supervised by a coordination center and two officials from Justice and Homeland Security.
- The FBI recorded 181,565 complaints involving cryptos in 2025, with $11.366 billion in reported losses.
- Washington has 60 days to set the operational rules for the program. A first report is expected within 180 days.
Washington wants to go beyond freezing funds
American authorities already have several tools to pursue crypto scam networks. They can seize domains, block assets or trace money laundering circuits. The freezing of more than 700 million dollars linked to a Chinese network provides a recent illustration of this.
The memo signed by Donald Trump goes further. It now allows American companies selected by the State to take part in certain operations carried out directly against the infrastructures used by these criminal networks. So it’s no longer just about following the money or seizing funds after the fact.
In his text from August 12the White House entrusts the National Coordination Center (NCC) with the implementation of the program intended for “Participating Companies”.
To enter, a company will have to sign a contract with the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security, go through a vetting process and obtain written authorization before each mission. Two executive directors will supervise the system, one designated by Justice and the other by Homeland Security.
Participating companies are private U.S. companies admitted to the program and authorized to conduct cyber operations at the direction of the United States government.
At first reading, the term “hack” therefore simplifies the scope of the text. Cyber surveillance aims at the clandestine collection of information and may involve unauthorized access to a system.
Cyber effects operations can manipulate, disrupt, degrade or destroy systems or the data they contain. Operations likely to result in death or serious injury, or constitute the use of force under international law, fall outside the approval authority delegated to program directors.
Crypto losses give the measure of the problem
Why does Washington want to expand its arsenal? FBI figures provide part of the answer.
In 2025, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recorded 181,565 complaints linked to cryptocurrencies. This is 21% more than a year ago. Reported losses reached $11.366 billion, an annual increase of 22%.
These data obviously do not represent all victims. They only correspond to cases reported to the FBI. The actual damage may therefore be greater.
The results of crypto scams in the United States already showed the extent of the phenomenon. However, the FB IC3 2025 reportI make an important clarification: not all complaints related to cryptos necessarily concern investment fraud.
This category alone represents 61,559 complaints and $7.228 billion in losses. Over one year, the number of reports increased by 48%, while losses increased by 25%.
Behind these figures are sometimes organizations much more structured than a simple fake investment site.
This distinction changes the reading of the memo. The networks targeted are not just sites that take deposits: “pig butchering” type schemes, which gain the trust of a victim before pushing them towards a fictitious platform, combine social manipulation, cross-border money laundering and, in some cases, exploitation of workers in clandestine complexes.
Intervention in infrastructure could speed up the identification or disruption of networks, but there is no evidence yet in the memo that it will reduce losses or allow funds to be automatically returned.
It remains to be seen who will be responsible for the errors
The memo does not yet set out the instructions for use. Within 60 days, Justice, Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Council must establish rules for targeting, coordinating and stopping an operation that mistakenly affects an American person or system. A report is expected within 180 days, with an annual evaluation.
The FBI file on the Tai Chang network helps us understand what is changing. In this case, the Strike Force claims to have blocked more than $700 million in crypto linked to the laundering of funds from fraud. Until now, this type of action has mainly relied on investigation, seizure of estates and confiscation of assets.
With the new program, Washington wants to be able to intervene earlier, in particular through clandestine surveillance and technical disruption of infrastructure.
The government may require participating companies to provide a bond or escrow deposit of at least $1 million to cover certain cases of non-compliance. On the other hand, the public version of the memo does not yet clearly detail the role that an independent authority would have in the event of an error or collateral damage.
The problem is therefore not that private companies can act without any rules. They will remain under the authority of the government.
The real question is rather that of responsibility: who will be responsible for an operation which exceeds its target or causes damage to a third party?
The procedures expected in the next 60 days should provide an initial response. Above all, they will allow us to know to what extent Washington intends to delegate its cyber capabilities to the private sector.
For crypto users, however, the result will be measured elsewhere. Faced with spoofing scams that continue to target crypto communities, the effectiveness of the program will depend less on the number of networks infiltrated than on its ability to prevent new victims and, where possible, recover stolen funds.
Maximize your Tremplin.io experience with our ‘Read to Earn’ program! For every article you read, earn points and access exclusive rewards. Sign up now and start earning benefits.
