The Justice Department announced the arrests of three people in a stolen identity scheme that involved thousands of North Korean information technology workers sent to China and Russia who relied on the stolen identities of Americans to obtain remote employment at U.S.-based Fortune 500 companies. It generated $6.8 million in revenue for the North Korean government and gave them access to sensitive corporate data to funnel back to North Korea..

One of the arrested includes an Arizona woman, Christina Marie Chapman. Chapman ran a “laptop farm” where U.S. companies sent computers and paychecks to IT workers they did not realize were overseas. She connected them and allowed overseas IT workers log in remotely so they could connect to company networks and appear the logins were coming from the United States. She also is alleged to have received paychecks for the overseas IT workers at her home, forging the beneficiaries’ signatures for transfer abroad and enriching herself by charging monthly fees.

“More and more often, compliance programs at American companies and organizations are on the front lines of protecting our national security,”

Articles:

• https://fortune.com/2024/05/16/north-koreans-stole-american-identities-and-took-remote-work-tech-jobs