Arrr! A grand multitude o' faraway IT swashbucklers from US companies be sendin' their booty to North Korea, claimeth the FBI. Funding weapons, they be!
2023-10-19
Arrr, matey! 'Tis been revealed by the FBI that the scurvy dogs, them remote IT workers for American companies, have been sendin' millions o' doubloons to North Korea to line their pockets with gold for their weapons! Avast, danger be upon us!
According to FBI and Department of Justice officials, thousands of IT workers who were contracted with U.S. companies secretly sent millions of dollars in wages to North Korea for its ballistic missile program. These workers, dispatched by North Korea, used false identities to secure remote jobs with U.S. companies. The money they earned was then funneled into the North Korean weapons program. The workers primarily resided in China and Russia, and they deceived businesses into hiring them as freelance remote employees. To make it appear as if they were working in the United States, they even paid Americans to use their home Wi-Fi connections. Authorities have stated that there are thousands of North Korean IT workers involved in this scheme. These workers generated millions of dollars and, in some cases, infiltrated computer networks and stole information from the companies that hired them. The names of the affected companies and how federal authorities discovered the scheme have not been disclosed. This is not the first time North Korea has used criminal activities to fund its regime. In 2016, four Chinese nationals and a trading company were charged in the U.S. for evading sanctions targeting North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistics initiatives. Additionally, United Nations experts reported that North Korean hackers stole virtual assets worth between $630 million and over $1 billion in 2020. Overall, it is concerning that IT workers contracted by U.S. companies were secretly sending wages to North Korea, contributing to its ballistic missile program. The deceptive methods used by these workers to secure remote employment highlights the need for stricter identity verification measures. The authorities' efforts in uncovering this scheme are commendable, and it is crucial to continue monitoring and combating North Korea's illicit activities.