Secretary Mullin explained the change as an attempt to protect national security and prevent immigration fraud.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been sued by a coalition of university organizations and labor unions after the agency ended the “duration of status” policy for international students studying in the U.S. on student visas. Under the new rule, foreign students will be limited to four-year stays and required to undergo a federal review that includes submitting biometric information and security, identity, and fraud screening if an extension is needed.
When the policy update was announced, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said, “For nearly half a century, the outdated ‘duration of status’ system has compromised national security and created an environment ripe for immigration fraud. For decades, foreign students have been admitted into the U.S. indefinitely,…
CLICK HERE to read the FULL DHS Sued Over Removal of Student Visa “Duration of Status” article.
THE HASHFLARE “CLOUD MINING” PONZI SCHEME (GLOBAL/ESTONIA)
Date: February 13, 2025 (Guilty Pleas) Perpetrators: Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turogin
Case Description: This $577 million cryptocurrency fraud remains one of the largest digital asset scams in history, with major legal developments concluding in 2025. Potapenko and Turogin operated “Hashflare,” which they marketed as a massive cryptocurrency mining operation. Hundreds of thousands of victims worldwide purchased “mining contracts,” believing they were renting hash power to mine Bitcoin. In reality, the duo was running a sophisticated Ponzi scheme.
They created fake customer dashboards that showed “real-time” mining profits, but the money being paid out was simply the capital of newer investors. They laundered the proceeds through shell companies to purchase luxury real estate and a fleet of high-end vehicles. After a massive international investigation involving the FBI and Estonian authorities, the pair agreed to forfeit over $400 million in assets. This case underscores the “Cyber-enabled Fraud” warning issued by the FATF in early 2026: as technology evolves, the scale of fraud moves from local millions to global billions in the blink of an eye.
Link to Original: ACFE – High Profile Fraud of 2025