The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has seized 13 internet domains that US officials claim were part of a Chinese operation targeting American workers with access to classified or sensitive government information, the Justice Department announced on Wednesday.
Fake Consulting Companies and Sham Job Postings
The websites appeared to be affiliated with legitimate consulting companies advertising job openings for current and former holders of security clearances. However, officials stated that the companies were all fakes and the job postings were a sham.
Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said in a statement cited by the South China Morning Post: "The fake consulting company domains seized by the FBI illustrate the lengths the Chinese government's intelligence services will go to as they try to use AI-generated content to trick, recruit, or coerce current and former US security clearance holders into sharing sensitive information."
AI-Generated Content and Stolen Identities
According to an FBI affidavit, the fake websites relied on fraudulent or stolen identities and AI-generated photographs to give them an appearance of legitimacy. They advertised generic "consulting" jobs geared toward current or former US government employees.
Applicants and recruits were offered money for reports related to their work and for sensitive information, the Justice Department said. The operators, who officials allege are tied to Chinese intelligence services, used cryptocurrency and online payment systems to hide their real identities. The job ads were reportedly posted on various hiring platforms including LinkedIn, Upwork, Expertia AI, Hubstaff Talent, Wellfound and Post Job Free, using aliases and fake profiles.
FBI Seeks Public Help
Dan Wierzbicki, the special agent in charge of the counterintelligence and cyber division of the FBI's Washington field office, said the bureau believes there are other websites serving a similar purpose and is seeking the public's help in identifying them.
The 13 seized domains, which used names such as Rightinfo Consulting, GeoIndopacific, Global Peace Foundation, TruthInfo and Gulf Peace Foundation, now display an FBI warning that the site has been seized as part of a coordinated law enforcement operation.
Five Eyes Warning
The seizure comes a week after the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US – issued a bulletin warning that China is targeting personnel from those countries on job websites to get access to classified or sensitive information. The bulletin said spies for Chinese military intelligence have been posing as workers acting on behalf of private businesses or think tanks, advertising bogus jobs such as foreign policy or defense analysts and pressuring candidates to provide "non-public" information.
China's Response
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington called allegations of Chinese espionage "entirely fabricated" and "malicious slander," adding: "We strongly condemn this," according to Reuters and AP.
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