The FBI in St. Louis, on Dec 12, 2024, announced the indictments of 14 North Korean nationals in a scheme using IT workers who used false identities to get remote jobs with US companies, then funneled their wages and other funds back to North Korea for use in weapons programs. — AP
ST. LOUIS: Fourteen North Korean nationals have been indicted in a scheme using information technology workers with false identities to contract with US companies – workers who then funneled their wages to North Korea for development of ballistic missiles and other weapons, the head of the FBI office in St. Louis said on Dec 12.
The scheme involving thousands of IT workers generated more than US$88mil (RM390.54mil) for the North Korean government, Ashley T. Johnson, special agent in charge of the St. Louis FBI office, said at a news conference. In addition to their wages, the workers stole sensitive information from companies or threatened to leak information in exchange for extortion payments, Johnson said.
