FBI Seizes 13 Fake Job Websites Linked to Chinese Espionage Effort
The FBI confiscated 13 fraudulent websites that posed as consulting firms to recruit U.S. workers with security clearances, alleging ties to Chinese intelligence.
The Justice Department announced Wednesday that the FBI has taken control of 13 websites that were presented as consulting firms advertising jobs for current and former holders of security clearances. Officials say the sites were fabricated, using stolen identities and AI-generated photos, and were part of a scheme to lure U.S. personnel with access to classified or sensitive information.
According to an FBI affidavit, the bogus postings were linked to recruitment efforts on platforms such as LinkedIn, offering payment in cryptocurrency or other online systems for reports and non-public data. Law-enforcement agencies identified the sites after receiving tips from individuals who reported suspicious interactions.
"A lot of this information came from doing interviews with people who came forward that something didn’t seem right," said Dan Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI’s counterintelligence and cyber division in Washington.
The FBI indicated that additional similar sites may exist and is asking the public to help locate them. A Chinese embassy spokesperson dismissed the accusations as fabricated and slanderous.
The seizure follows a recent Five Eyes intelligence bulletin warning that Chinese actors are using fake job listings to target personnel in allied countries for espionage purposes.
