Chinese spies using online job platforms to recruit, Five Eyes security alliance warns
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LONDON: The Five Eyes security alliance has issued a joint warning cautioning that Chinese spies are increasingly utilizing legitimate online job platforms to target and recruit current and former Western government officials.
Intelligence agencies from the UK, US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand revealed that undercover operatives are posing as headhunters and consultants on mainstream professional networking sites, including LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and Upwork.
The deceptive recruitment process typically begins with harmless requests for general economic or political analysis in exchange for thousands of dollars. Once a relationship is established, the operatives gradually escalate their demands, offering larger sums of cash for confidential state information.
MI5 previously warned that over 20,000 individuals in the UK had been approached by hostile actors on professional sites. Security officials urge users to remain skeptical of unsolicited high-paying offers, research recruiting profiles thoroughly, and report any suspicious outreach.
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