Suspicious Employment Ads Raise Security Issues
An umbrella of unscrupulous recruitment agencies, purportedly controlled by a Chinese technology firm, has been seeking to employ furloughed US government workers, research by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) has shown. The agencies, using alternate names but similar digital traces, advertised on LinkedIn and Craigslist, looking for staff with government and policy backgrounds.
Investigation Exposes Bogus Companies
Max Lesser, an FDD analyst, found that these companies shared websites, dormant phone numbers, bogus addresses, and other warning signs of a concerted effort to hire former federal workers. Reuters inquiry revealed that most of the companies listed, such as RiverMerge Strategies and Wavemax Innovation, had websites on the same IP address as Smiao Intelligence, a Chinese internet services provider. Smiao Intelligence’s website went dark, however, in the course of reporting.
Potential Intelligence Dangers
American intelligence analysts indicate foreign powers, most notably China and Russia, are seeking to take advantage of financially struggling former government employees. Analysts caution that after being hired, the employees would be requested to gather sensitive information or to spot further targets to be recruited. The FBI has already warned that Chinese intelligence officers tend to pose as recruiters or universities to collect intelligence.
US Response and Warnings
A White House official confirmed Chinese spying activities and called on current and former government officials to be cautious. LinkedIn, meanwhile, confirmed it had suspended RiverMerge Strategies’ profile because of suspicious behavior. The Washington Chinese Embassy denied any role, saying Beijing respects data security and privacy.
This discovery comes on the heels of a similar 2020 case in which a Singaporean national confessed to hiring Americans for Chinese intelligence disguised as a consulting firm. Experts say such practices are ramping up as furloughed federal employees look for new jobs, becoming easy targets for foreign recruitment.
