Washington, July 23 -- The United States on Thursday introduced a new global visa restriction policy directed at individuals responsible for cyberscams and sextortion, citing an "unprecedented threat" to American citizens.

Announcing the measures implemented under the Immigration and Nationality Act, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the sanctions would extend beyond primary actors to include their immediate family members.

"This policy targets individuals responsible for, or complicit in, cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime," Rubio said in a statement.

He highlighted that online investment fraud, frequently masterminded by "Chinese transnational criminal organisations," siphoned at least USD 10 billion from US citizens in 2...