Imagine a criminal speeding down an interstate highway, crossing from Ohio into Pennsylvania and then into New Jersey, stealing from homes in each town and vanishing before police can react.

Now imagine if that same criminal didn’t need to travel at all — because with a few keystrokes and a fake phone number, he can rob Americans from thousands of miles away.

This is the new reality of online fraud, a crime wave that travels over fiber-optic cables and cell towers instead of backroads and freeways. Our law enforcement agencies, especially at the local level, are left chasing shadows without the jurisdiction or resources to keep up.

As mayor of Whitehall Borough, I’ve seen how this crisis hits small towns just as hard as major cities. One of my own cousins lost $50,000 to a sophisticated scam.

The shame and heartbreak were compounded by the realization that there was little recourse.

But not all the stories end in loss. Recently, two of Whitehall’s finest were honored for recovering more than $400,000 stolen from our residents. It was a remarkable achievement, but also a stark reminder of just how much money is being siphoned from communities like ours every day.

The digital age has ushered in convenience and an open door for criminals who don’t need to break windows or pick locks. They just need an internet connection. Cyber fraud has become one of the fastest growing and most sophisticated forms of crime in America.

How do we stop these proliferating crimes?

Pennsylvania has taken important steps. Public awareness campaigns, consumer protection programs and listening sessions hosted by our attorney general are all vital parts of the puzzle. But here’s the problem: Cybercriminals don’t stop at the state line, and neither should our response.

And while Pennsylvania and other states are doing what they can, the truth is clear: State borders mean nothing to online scammers. It’s time for a federal solution.

Community leaders across the state all share the same frustration: We’re fighting a national threat with local tools. This is why I believe it’s time for a coordinated, comprehensive federal strategy to tackle online fraud.

We need better data sharing, streamlined reporting systems and federal law enforcement resources that can track and prosecute scammers who operate across multiple jurisdictions, or even internationally. We need uniform standards for how scams are reported, investigated and shut down. We need funding to help our local police departments keep pace with ever-evolving schemes.

Most importantly, we need to treat online fraud not as a niche issue, but as the interstate, borderless, billion- dollar criminal enterprise that it is.

Congress has the ability and the responsibility to lead this effort. Cities and towns are ready to help. But without a national framework, we’ll continue to fall behind.

To effectively address this issue, the country needs a unified national approach backed by real enforcement power. This could take the form of a federally established task force equipped with the necessary resources, legal authority and specialized knowledge to pursue and prosecute online fraud.

Moving forward, we need our leaders in Washington, D.C., — including Sens. Dave McCormick and John Fetterman — to understand that combating online fraud and scams requires a comprehensive solution, not a fragmented, patchwork approach.

This is not just a Pennsylvania issue. It’s an American issue, and it’s time we gave it the national response it demands.

Jim Nowalk is mayor of Whitehall and president of the Pennsylvania State Mayors’ Association.

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