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Federal authorities in the United States seized 13 websites allegedly used by suspected Chinese intelligence operatives to target current and former security clearance holders with access to classified and sensitive government information, the Justice Department and FBI said.
The websites posed as consulting companies and advertised vague, well-paid jobs intended to recruit current and former U.S. government and military employees, according to court documents filed in support of the seizures.
The FBI also warned current and former government officials, military personnel and others with access to sensitive information to exercise caution when approached online with attractive consulting or employment offers.
Authorities said the alleged operation used professional networking sites, recruitment platforms, encrypted messaging services, artificial intelligence-generated photographs and online payment systems to seek non-public information from targeted individuals.
“These domain seizures offer a glimpse at how foreign actors can use promises of easy money to lure Americans into revealing sensitive or classified information that they are duty-bound to protect,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said.
According to the seizure affidavit, the alleged operators created at least 13 fake consulting company websites beginning in November 2023.
The sites advertised generic consulting positions and indicated that they were seeking current or former U.S. government and military personnel to provide expertise to unspecified clients.
The positions included titles such as “Senior Analyst” and “International Affairs Consultant.”
Recruiters allegedly pressured applicants to provide confidential reports, exclusive information and material from insider sources in violation of their official responsibilities.
The scheme used contracts and confidentiality agreements to make the consulting businesses appear legitimate, the Justice Department said.
Authorities said the operators used aliases, fictional personas, stolen identities and AI-generated profile images.
They also offered relatively large payments for research reports and communicated through Telegram and other encrypted applications.
The FBI said recruiters used job postings, social media and platforms including Upwork, Expertia AI, Hubstaff Talent, Wellfound and Post Job Free.
The advertised assignments focused on subjects of interest to the government of the People’s Republic of China, according to court documents.
In a video message shared on social media, the FBI said Chinese-linked military intelligence elements were targeting people with access to sensitive information through Western job websites and professional networking platforms.
The bureau said potential targets included military personnel, government officials, academics, journalists and people working in defense and security fields.
It particularly warned individuals in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing countries—the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The FBI said Chinese intelligence operatives may present themselves as representatives of consulting companies, think tanks or human resources firms before requesting non-public information from applicants.
Authorities said the objective was to establish long-term relationships and obtain classified, privileged or sensitive information related to military, political and economic affairs.
The FBI described the activity as an intelligence collection effort directed against the national security of the U.S. and allied countries.
According to the affidavit, the alleged operators offered money in exchange for sensitive information and used online payment accounts registered under fictitious names.
They also allegedly used cryptocurrency to conceal their identities and the true sources of the payments.
Authorities said money was transferred from overseas locations and accounts into the U.S. as part of the alleged conspiracy.
The suspected operators denied involvement by any foreign government, according to the Justice Department.
The seized domains were allegedly used in a conspiracy involving bribery of current and former public officials, identity theft and international money laundering.
The FBI placed seizure notices on the websites after rendering them inoperable.
FBI Counterintelligence and Espionage Division Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said the seized domains demonstrated the methods allegedly used by Chinese intelligence services to target Americans.
“The fake consulting company domains seized by the FBI illustrate the lengths the Chinese government’s intelligence services will go to as they try to use AI-generated content to trick, recruit or coerce current and former U.S. security clearance holders into sharing sensitive information,” Rozhavsky said.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia said the sites had been designed to deceive people trusted with access to sensitive information.
“These sham consulting sites were crafted to deceive, but thanks to the persistent work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, this scheme, like so many others, has been stopped in its tracks,” she said.
The FBI urged people approached with suspicious recruitment or consulting offers to remain alert, recognize warning signs and report suspicious activity.
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