(DC Pundit) – The FBI has released a wanted poster for 14 North Korean nationals accused of infiltrating U.S. companies and nonprofits. This latest move is part of a two-year effort to crack down on a group of tech-savvy con artists who’ve been playing cat and mouse with American businesses.
The reward for information leading to their capture? A cool $5 million.
These 14 individuals, all hailing from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, weren’t just your run-of-the-mill hackers. They were posing as American IT workers, employed by DPRK-controlled companies Yanbian Silverstar and Volasys Silverstar, operating out of China and Russia.
Their modus operandi? Identity theft on a grand scale. These digital desperados would swipe American identities to land remote jobs with U.S. companies. Some were under orders to bring home at least $10,000 per month. But that wasn’t enough for these greedy grifters. They’d also resort to good old-fashioned extortion, threatening to spill company secrets unless their victims coughed up hush money.
The Department of Justice has accused 14 North Korean nationals of conspiring to use false identities to get IT jobs with U.S. companies and siphon money back to their home country, in violation of US, Yid Info reported. pic.twitter.com/mX9nSsRowi
— Apex World News (@apexworldnews) December 13, 2024
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco remarked, “To prop up its brutal regime, the North Korean government directs IT workers to gain employment through fraud, steal sensitive information from U.S. companies, and siphon money back to the DPRK.” Monaco added that this indictment should serve as a wake-up call to companies worldwide to keep their eyes peeled for such nefarious activities.
The hammer came down on Wednesday when a federal court in St. Louis, Missouri, indicted the workers. This latest legal action is just the tip of the iceberg in the ongoing efforts to disrupt this particular group’s operations. The FBI has already seized over $2.2 million and 29 internet domains used in their alleged schemes.
All 14 North Koreans are facing a laundry list of charges, including conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. Eight of them are also on the hook for aggravated identity theft. If convicted, they could be looking at up to 27 years behind bars.
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