Current:Home > Contact-usFBI: Thousands of remote IT workers sent wages to North Korea to help fund weapons program-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
FBI: Thousands of remote IT workers sent wages to North Korea to help fund weapons program
View Date:2024-12-23 20:04:37
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Thousands of information technology workers contracting with U.S. companies have for years secretly sent millions of dollars of their wages to North Korea for use in its ballistic missile program, FBI and Department of Justice officials said.
The Justice Department said Wednesday that IT workers dispatched and contracted by North Korea to work remotely with companies in St. Louis and elsewhere in the U.S. have been using false identities to get the jobs. The money they earned was funneled to the North Korean weapons program, FBI leaders said at a news conference in St. Louis.
Federal authorities announced the seizure of $1.5 million and 17 domain names as part of the investigation, which is ongoing.
Jay Greenberg, special agent in charge of the St. Louis FBI office, said any company that hired freelance IT workers “more than likely” hired someone participating in the scheme.
Other news
Evidence shows Hamas militants likely used some North Korean weapons in attack on Israel
Russian foreign minister offers security talks with North Korea and China as he visits Pyongyang
Russia’s foreign minister thanks North Korea for ‘unwavering’ support of its war in Ukraine
“This scheme is so prevalent that companies must be vigilant to verify whom they’re hiring,” Greenberg said in a news release. “At a minimum, the FBI recommends that employers take additional proactive steps with remote IT workers to make it harder for bad actors to hide their identities.”
Officials didn’t name the companies that unknowingly hired North Korean workers, or say when the practice began.
Court documents allege that the government of North Korea dispatched thousands of skilled IT workers to live primarily in China and Russia with the goal of deceiving businesses from the U.S. and elsewhere into hiring them as freelance remote employees.
The IT workers generated millions of dollars a year in their wages to benefit North Korea’s weapons programs. In some instances, the North Korean workers also infiltrated computer networks and stole information from the companies that hired them, the Justice Department said. They also maintained access for future hacking and extortion schemes, the agency said.
Greenberg said the workers used various techniques to make it look like they were working in the U.S., including paying Americans to use their home Wi-Fi connections.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are high as North Korea has test-fired more than 100 missiles since the start of 2022 and the U.S. has expanded its military exercises with its Asian allies, in tit-for-tat responses.
In September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for an exponential increase in production of nuclear weapons and for his country to play a larger role in a coalition of nations confronting the United States in a “new Cold War,” state media said.
In February, United Nations experts said that North Korean hackers working for the government stole record-breaking virtual assets last year estimated to be worth between $630 million and more than $1 billion. The panel of experts said in a report that the hackers used increasingly sophisticated techniques to gain access to digital networks involved in cyberfinance, and to steal information that could be useful in North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs from governments, individuals and companies.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Nicole Scherzinger receives support from 'The View' hosts after election post controversy
- Amy Webb: A Glimpse Into The Future
- Facebook suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene's account over COVID misinformation
- Ted Lasso's Nick Mohammed Sees No Reason Show Has to End With Season 3
- Only 8 monkeys remain free after more than a week outside a South Carolina compound
- Reneé Rapp Is Ready to Kiss or Lick Anybody to Get OG Mean Girls Cast to Return for Musical
- Panamanian tribe to be relocated from coastal island due to climate change: There's no other option
- Inside Pregnant Rumer Willis’ Baby Shower With Demi Moore, Emma Heming and Sisters
- Lady Gaga Joins Wednesday Season 2 With Jenna Ortega, So Prepare to Have a Monster Ball
- Beijing hospital fire death toll rises to 29 as dozen people detained
Ranking
- Sports are a must-have for many girls who grow up to be leaders
- As the jury deliberates Elizabeth Holmes' fate, experts say 'fraud is complicated'
- Joni Mitchell joins Neil Young in protest against Spotify
- TikToker Abbie Herbert Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby Boy With Husband Josh Herbert
- Brands Our Editors Are Thankful For in 2024
- Lion sighted in Chad national park for first time in nearly 20 years
- Sleep Week 2023 Deals: Mattresses, Bedding, Furniture and More
- India's population set to surpass China's in summer 2023, U.N. says
Recommendation
-
Colorado police shot, kill mountain lion after animal roamed on school's campus
-
Joe Rogan has responded to the protests against Spotify over his podcast
-
Kelly Clarkson Shares Her Kids’ Heartbreaking Reaction to Brandon Blackstock Divorce
-
Dame Edna creator Barry Humphries dies at 89
-
What do nails have to say about your health? Experts answer your FAQs.
-
Mark Ballas Announces His Dancing With the Stars Retirement After 20 Seasons
-
Sister of slain security officer sues Facebook over killing tied to Boogaloo movement
-
Stassie Karanikolaou Drops an Affordable Swimsuit Collection and Shares Styling Tips for a Viral Moment