America's New Crime Wave: The Criminals Are Calling Us at Home
From fraudulent phone calls to international cybercrime, Americans are under attack without ever leaving their homes.
By Michael Cunningham Sr. | Mike's Observations
There was a time in America when a ringing telephone meant somebody wanted to talk to you.
It might have been a neighbor, a friend, a relative, or somebody calling about business.
Today, when my telephone rings and I don't recognize the number, my first thought is often: Who's trying to scam me now?
And I suspect millions of Americans feel exactly the same way.
How did we reach the point where answering our own telephone has become something we hesitate to do?
How did we allow criminals, some operating thousands of miles away, to invade our homes electronically, interrupt our lives, and attempt to steal everything we have worked for?
And perhaps the biggest question of all:
Why has it taken so long to confront this problem on the scale it deserves?
The White House Takes Aim at International Cybercrime
On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, President Donald Trump hosted a White House roundtable addressing the growing threat of international cybercrime.
The administration highlighted efforts to disrupt foreign criminal networks, freeze stolen cryptocurrency, dismantle fraudulent operations, and recover money for victims.
According to Reuters, President Trump said federal law enforcement had warned more than 10,000 Americans targeted by scammers and prevented at least $1.6 billion in potential losses this year.
Those figures deserve attention.
But behind every statistic is a human being.
A retired couple who lost their savings.
A widow who believed she was helping a family member.
A hardworking American who answered a telephone call from someone pretending to represent a bank.
These aren't merely financial crimes.
They are attacks on people's security, independence, and peace of mind.
The Telephone Has Become a Weapon
Let's talk about something nearly everyone understands.
Spam telephone calls.
They are everywhere.
Calls about automobile warranties.
Calls offering medical benefits.
Calls claiming your Social Security number has been compromised.
Calls warning that your bank account is about to be frozen.
Calls promising prizes you never entered to win.
And increasingly, calls using artificial intelligence to imitate voices and create convincing conversations.
Some are merely unwanted sales calls. Others are carefully designed criminal operations.
The caller may sound professional, polite, concerned, and completely believable.
But the objective can be the same: obtain personal information, gain access to accounts, or persuade someone to send money.
And don't assume that because your caller ID shows a local telephone number, the caller is actually nearby.
Telephone numbers can be spoofed.
The criminal could be halfway around the world while appearing to call from just down the road.
Why Our Senior Citizens Are Especially Vulnerable
At 82 years old, I have watched technology change almost beyond recognition.
I remember when a telephone was a simple instrument hanging on the wall.
Today, that same basic instrument can connect us to the entire world.
Unfortunately, it can also connect the entire world to us.
Many older Americans grew up in a society where a person's word meant something.
When someone called claiming to represent a bank, a government agency, or a respected business, people were inclined to listen.
Criminals know this.
They exploit trust, fear, loneliness, and sometimes the natural desire to help someone.
Imagine a grandmother receiving a call from someone sounding exactly like her grandson, desperately asking for money.
With modern voice-cloning technology, that scenario is no longer science fiction.
And these scams do not affect only older Americans. Younger people, families, professionals, and business owners are also targets.
Nobody should assume they are too intelligent or too experienced to be deceived.
These Are Not Always Lone Criminals
When we picture a scammer, we might imagine someone sitting in a small room with a telephone and a computer.
But some modern fraud operations are enormous criminal enterprises.
They have managers, recruiters, technology specialists, money handlers, and people trained to manipulate victims.
Some overseas scam compounds have even been connected to human trafficking, where workers are forced to participate in criminal activity.
In September 2026, the United States and United Kingdom announced a joint initiative to pursue international scam centers.
In October, the Department of Justice reported another multinational operation that led to arrests, disrupted millions of fraudulent social media accounts, and identified trafficking victims.
This is organized crime operating in the digital age.
And it requires more than simply blocking another telephone number.
Recovering Stolen Money Is Only Part of the Solution
I welcome efforts by any administration to investigate these criminal networks, freeze stolen assets, and return money to victims.
That is an important objective.
But I believe our government, telephone companies, financial institutions, and technology companies must also focus on preventing these crimes before they happen.
Why can criminals repeatedly disguise telephone numbers?
Why are fraudulent messages still reaching so many people?
Why must ordinary Americans spend their time deciding whether a call or text message is legitimate?
And why should elderly citizens have to worry that answering the telephone could jeopardize their retirement savings?
Technology companies have developed extraordinary capabilities.
Surely those same capabilities should be put to work protecting the people who use their services.
The answer will require international cooperation, better fraud detection, stronger enforcement, and continued public education.
It will also require accountability and oversight to ensure that efforts to stop criminals respect the privacy and rights of law-abiding Americans.
Seven Things Every American Should Remember
Remember, the sooner financial fraud is reported, the better the opportunity authorities may have to intervene. Recovery, however, is never guaranteed.
My Observation After 82 Years
I have lived through the introduction of television, computers, satellites, cell phones, the internet, and now artificial intelligence.
I have witnessed technology accomplish things that would have seemed impossible when I was a young Marine.
But somewhere along the way, we created a world in which criminals can reach into our homes without opening a door.
They can steal identities without meeting their victims.
They can drain bank accounts without ever touching a dollar bill.
And they can destroy someone's financial security with a few carefully chosen words.
That is not progress. That is criminal exploitation of progress.
I am encouraged when law enforcement takes action against these international networks. The results should be measured by how many crimes are prevented, how many victims are protected, and how much stolen money actually makes its way home.
But the job is far from finished.
Americans should be able to answer their own telephones without wondering whether the person on the other end is trying to rob them.
We should be able to use modern technology without constantly looking over our shoulders.
And we should expect the institutions entrusted with our security to take this threat seriously.
A criminal should not be able to reach into an American home, steal a lifetime of savings, and disappear behind a telephone number.
Not in America.
Not anywhere.
What Do You Think?
Are you tired of spam calls, fraudulent texts, and suspicious emails?
Have you or someone you know ever been targeted by a telephone or internet scam?
And do you believe government and technology companies are doing enough to protect Americans?
I'd like to hear your experience. Visit the Contact page at mikesobservations.com and tell me what you think.
Michael Cunningham Sr.
Mike's Observations — Eight Decades of Faith, Service, Adventure, and a Life Well Lived.
