North Korean Fraud Scheme Exposed: Four Americans Plead Guilty in $2 Million Scam

Benzinga

Four Americans and a Ukrainian pleaded guilty to helping North Korean operatives secure remote U.S. tech jobs using stolen identities, generating $1.28 million for Pyongyang’s weapons program. The DOJ said 136 companies were affected and warned firms to tighten verification systems.

Transcript

00:00It's Benzinga, bringing Wall Street to Main Street.

00:02Four Americans and one Ukrainian pleaded guilty to a North Korean-run remote IT worker scam

00:07that targeted U.S. companies and generated revenue for Pyongyang's weapons program,

00:12according to Benzinga. According to the Department of Justice,

00:15the individuals admitted to helping North Korean operatives obtain U.S. jobs by using their

00:20identities and bypassing employer vetting. The scheme affected 136 U.S. companies and

00:26generated $1.28 million in salaries from 2019 to 2022, which were largely sent overseas.

00:33Officials said the case is part of a wider crackdown on global remote work fraud tied

00:38to Pyongyang's weapons program and warned companies to strengthen verification systems.

00:43For all things money, visit Benzinga.com.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended