March 12, 2026

Statement from Socure Head of Public Sector Jordan Burris on the Trump Administration’s Cyber Strategy for America and Executive Order on Cybercrime and Fraud

The Administration’s newly released Cyber Strategy for America and corresponding executive order on combating cybercrime and fraud are an important first step. For too long, cyber-enabled fraud has lived in the gray space between financial crime and national security. By elevating it, launching an interagency review, standing up a more coordinated operational capability, and leaning into public-private collaboration, the Administration is signaling that protecting Americans from digital exploitation is a priority. That deserves recognition.

Now let me say the quiet part out loud.

We are still missing the boat on the one lever that changes the economics of fraud at scale: digital identity. Identity is the root of many of the scams and cybercrime-enabled fraud schemes plaguing Americans today. Whether it is account takeover, benefits fraud, synthetic identity abuse, or impersonation scams, the common denominator is the ability of fraudsters to convincingly pose as someone they are not.

In November 2024, before this Administration took office, we released a blueprint calling for a cohesive national digital identity trust strategy, executive-level leadership to drive alignment across agencies, and measurable performance accountability to track fraud reduction and identity assurance outcomes. The premise was simple. If criminals can impersonate legitimate users online with minimal resistance, no amount of downstream enforcement will solve the problem at its root. That is simply a renewed version of the old pay-and-chase model, where we push money out the door first and scramble to recover it later.

Measured against that blueprint, the current strategy reflects progress in disruption and coordination. What we do not yet see is a cohesive, national digital identity strategy that treats identity as foundational infrastructure rather than a fragmented compliance function scattered across government, financial services, telecom, healthcare, and the broader digital economy.

Fraudsters exploit this fragmentation. They move from sector to sector, program to program, platform to platform. A collection of well-intentioned actions will not outpace organized, transnational networks that operate with unified playbooks and shared intelligence.

If the Administration wants to deliver on the promise of this strategy, the next phase should elevate digital identity as critical infrastructure, drive cross-sector alignment at the highest levels, and measure results transparently so we know what is working and where vulnerabilities persist. If we want fewer victims, fewer scam proceeds, and fewer criminals slipping through the cracks, the next step is obvious: treat digital identity like the front line it is, not an afterthought.

Posted by

Jordan Burris

Topics

Compliance

Fraud Prevention

Identity Management

Public Sector

Jordan Burris

Jordan Burris is the Head of Public Sector at Socure. In this role, he partners with government leaders to develop and scale Socure's public sector offerings for identity verification and fraud detection. This includes leading efforts to shape a safer digital future for those seeking to access services across the globe.