China is using professional career websites like LinkedIn to follow and possibly recruit spies, according to a warning from the FBI. The other “Five Eyes” intelligence agencies from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand co-signed the alert.
“China’s military intelligence services are using an increasingly wide array of professional networking sites and online job platforms to target Five Eyes government and military personnel — and anyone with access to classified or privileged information,” the intelligence agencies warned in a joint bulletin.
“These actors use an aggressive online recruitment strategy whereby intelligence officers or their affiliates pose as employees of private consultancies, think tanks or human resources firms, and place online job advertisements for foreign policy and defense analysts.
“Successful candidates are pressured to provide ‘non-public’ information for unspecified clients who are associated with the Chinese government. China’s military intelligence services ultimately seek to acquire privileged military, political and economic intelligence that can provide China with a strategic and tactical advantage over the Five Eyes.”
What kind of people are being targeted to become spies by China?
According to the bulletin, Chinese intelligence officers attempt to recruit and cultivate long-term relationships with several different types of individuals. They include: holders of security clearances, especially those with expertise in foreign policy, defense, and security and intelligence; military personnel who are familiar with regional capabilities and general activities, especially those stationed in the Indo-Pacific area; and people who have indirect or peripheral access to government information such as academics, journalists, independent authors, think tank staff, and anyone with ties to the defense, security, policy, or economic sectors..
“Chinese intelligence officers pose as online HR recruiters or consultants who represent fake, but often legitimate-looking, ‘cover companies’ and claim to be located in countries other than China,” the bulletin explained.
How does China target people to become spies?
According to the FBI bulletin, recruiters post job openings on professional networking sites, online job boards, and freelancing “gig work” websites like Indeed, Upwork, and LinkedIn.
The recruiters conduct interviews virtually when necessary. Recruiters may begin questioning candidates about their access to government contacts while hiding their identities. They may question military personnel about their responsibilities, unit operations, home base, or naval vessel.
After that, candidates must produce a trial report on a subject like international trade, the Indo-Pacific area and associated defense challenges, or China’s bilateral relations.
Then recruiters then tell candidates that the client needs more sensitive information for more reports. Intelligence officers usually shift the conversation to a more “secure” medium, like encrypted messaging apps, at some point during the hiring process.
Each report might earn recruits anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, and they might receive more pay in exchange for more sensitive material. Payment options include Western Union, e-transfer, bitcoin, and third-party payment services including PayPal, Payoneer, Zelle, Skrill, and Wise. Employers frequently pay recruits using an account that belongs to a person they did not meet throughout the hiring process.