A recent investigation by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) has exposed a network of likely fraudulent websites linked to China, which have been active since at least 2021. The researchers believe the network is a Chinese intelligence operation targeting former U.S. federal employees and policy experts for recruitment. One of these sites, Foresight and Strategy, recently posted a job opening for a remote policy analyst with a salary of up to $8,500 a month, seeking candidates with experience in government agencies or think tanks. This particular website has been the most active, but it shares the same digital infrastructure as two other sites, International Affairs Review and the Institute of International Studies, which the FDD also determined to be fictitious. All three websites were registered in China.
The network of fake sites likely capitalized on the global shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two other defunct sites, Asia Pacific Political Review and Global Strategic Outlook, may also be part of the network. While the researchers couldn’t definitively link the sites to the Chinese government or measure their success, an email from a spokesperson at the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., said the nation opposes “any smear and attack on China with so-called ‘spy risks’ without factual basis.” Attempts to contact the people behind the websites were largely unsuccessful, with most emails bouncing back. A job posting for Foresight and Strategy even appeared in Colorado Springs, a major military hub with multiple Space Force bases.
The FDD researchers discovered the network while investigating a separate group of fake consulting companies. This recruitment effort seems to have ramped up as more government employees have left their positions. However, the websites are often poorly designed and unpolished, with awkward English-language writing. For instance, a testimonial on the Foresight and Strategy website, attributed to “John Doe,” reads, “I can’t believe it took us this long to make a change. So happy that we did. Numbers don’t lie.” In another case, the Institute of International Studies uses partner headshots that were found to be stock images from WordPress templates.
Despite their crude appearance, these schemes can have serious consequences. A State Department official was recently sentenced to 48 months in prison for giving classified documents to Chinese intelligence agents who had posed as employees of international consulting firms, which is a tactic that mirrors the one observed by the FDD. An FDD analyst noted that these recruitment networks only need “the thinnest veil of cover for that initial approach.” The FBI is aware of foreign adversaries using employment and social media sites to identify and target individuals with technical expertise and security clearances. They advise people to report suspicious profiles and postings to the FBI and their employers.
The National Counterintelligence and Security Center has stated that Chinese intelligence entities have deployed online efforts to recruit current and former federal employees. A former assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security, Brian Harrell, pointed out that given the number of federal workers looking for new employment, this tactic isn’t surprising. He also noted that job seekers and “lucrative offers that are too good to be true” are a dangerous combination. He advises individuals to use due diligence and “some professional curiosity” when dealing with such offers.
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