Thousands of North Koreans have been found to have stolen American identities to secure remote tech jobs at Fortune 500 companies. This information was brought to light by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which has been investigating this large-scale identity theft and fraud operation.
The North Koreans, primarily based in China and Russia, deceived businesses in the U.S. and elsewhere into hiring them as freelance remote employees. They used various techniques to make it appear as though they were working from the U.S., including paying Americans to use their home Wi-Fi connections.
The money earned by these IT workers was funneled back to North Korea, allegedly to fund its ballistic missile program. The FBI and DOJ officials have stated that millions of dollars have been secretly sent to North Korea over the years from these wages.
The scheme was so prevalent that the FBI has warned companies to be extra vigilant in verifying whom they are hiring, especially for remote IT positions. They recommend additional proactive steps, including requiring interviewees to at least be seen via video, to make it harder for bad actors to hide their identities.
Federal authorities have seized $1.5 million and 17 domain names as part of the ongoing investigation.
Read more: fortune.com