Amazon Blocks Over 1,800 Job Applications from Suspected North Korean Operatives
Amazon has blocked more than 1,800 job applications from suspected North Korean agents attempting to secure remote IT positions. These applicants often use stolen or fake identities with the objective of being hired to receive wages that would fund Pyongyang's weapons programs. The company reports a nearly one-third rise in such applications over the past year, reflecting a wider trend across the industry, especially in the United States.
North Korean operatives commonly work with individuals managing "laptop farms," which are computers based in the US but operated remotely from abroad. The Department of Justice revealed in June that 29 such laptop farms were operating illegally across the US using stolen or forged American identities to secure jobs for North Korean workers. Multiple US brokers involved in these schemes were indicted.
In July, an Arizona woman was sentenced to over eight years in prison for running one of these laptop farms, which helped North Korean workers obtain remote jobs at more than 300 US companies. This illegal operation generated over $17 million in illicit gains for her and Pyongyang.
To combat this, Amazon employs a combination of artificial intelligence tools and human verification to screen applications. Fraudsters reportedly hijack dormant LinkedIn accounts using leaked credentials to authenticate their applications and target genuine software engineers. Indicators of fraudulent North Korean applications include incorrectly formatted phone numbers and mismatched education histories.
