Woman and man in the USA apprehended for North Korean IT scam.
A woman from the U.S. and a man from Ukraine are in trouble with the law for their involvement in a scheme to help North Koreans pose as Americans and get jobs remotely. The plan was supposed to bring money to the dictatorship. Things have been exposed, and now they're facing arrest.
The U.S. Department of Justice has revealed the arrest of an American woman and a Ukrainian man. They are said to have aided IT workers associated with North Korea in pretending to be American citizens to snag remote positions at numerous U.S. businesses. The department accuses them of orchestrating a plan meant to bring revenue to North Korea in violation of international sanctions.
More than 60 American identities were stolen, and the accused allegedly targeted over 300 U.S. companies, including Fortune 500 companies and banks. These foreign IT workers also attempted to secure jobs at two U.S. government agencies to access confidential information, but they were unsuccessful, the department shares. Last week, a lawsuit was filed against the American, the Ukrainian, and three other individuals in a Washington federal court.
The American woman was detained on Wednesday, while the Ukrainian was apprehended by Polish authorities at the request of the U.S. and is now awaiting extradition. The State Department has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of any other suspected accomplices in the case.
A warning to all
Nicole Argentieri, the head of the Justice Department's criminal division, stated that the accused individuals benefited the North Korean government with an income stream and, in certain instances, valuable data. She considers the indictments a warning to U.S. firms and government institutions that take on remote IT workers. An earlier response from the State Department mentioned that North Korea gathered at least $6.8 million through operations like this.
The Department of Justice states that the North Koreans involved in the scheme were connected to North Korea's defense industry department, which regulates the nation's ballistic missile development, weaponry production, and research and development activities. North Korea is facing UN sanctions aimed at limiting funding for its missile and nuclear weapons programs.
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The U.S. Department of Justice has also warned other U.S. companies and government institutions to be vigilant when hiring remote IT workers, following the arrest of the American woman and the Ukrainian man linked to North Korea. Despite the arrests, North Korea continues to evade international sanctions by leveraging IT scams, as highlighted by the $6.8 million they allegedly earned through such operations.
Source: www.ntv.de
