Amazon has blocked more than 1,800 job applications linked to suspected North Korean operatives. Amazon chief security officer Stephen Schmidt made the disclosure publicly. He shared the information in a LinkedIn post. The applicants focused on remote IT roles across the company. They used stolen or fabricated identities to bypass hiring safeguards.
Remote Tech Jobs Turned Into a Funding Channel
Schmidt said the applicants followed a simple and deliberate objective. They aimed to get hired and receive regular salaries. They then redirected wages to North Korea. The funds supported weapons development and state programs. Schmidt warned this activity likely occurs across the technology sector. He said US companies face the highest risk.
US and South Korean authorities have issued repeated warnings. They have tracked online scams linked to North Korean operatives. Officials said these schemes increasingly target Western employers.
Surge in Fraudulent Applications Alarms Amazon
Amazon recorded a nearly one-third increase in suspicious job applications over the past year. Schmidt said many operatives worked with partners inside the United States. These partners operated so-called laptop farms. The farms relied on computers physically located in the US. Operators controlled the machines remotely from abroad.
Amazon used artificial intelligence tools alongside staff verification. Employees screened applications and reviewed identity indicators. The company relied on these methods to stop coordinated fraud efforts.
Digital Identity Abuse Becomes More Advanced
Schmidt said the fraud techniques continue to evolve. Bad actors hijack dormant LinkedIn accounts using leaked credentials. They impersonate real software engineers to appear credible. Schmidt urged companies to report suspicious applications to authorities.
He warned employers to monitor specific red flags. These include incorrectly formatted phone numbers and mismatched education histories. Such inconsistencies often expose fraudulent identities.
US Investigators Crack Down on Laptop Farm Networks
In June, the US government uncovered 29 illegal laptop farms nationwide. North Korean IT workers operated the farms remotely. They relied on stolen or forged American identities. The Department of Justice said the scheme helped secure jobs at US companies.
Prosecutors also charged US brokers who assisted the operation. In July, a woman from Arizona received a prison sentence exceeding eight years. She ran a large laptop farm network. The operation placed workers at more than 300 US companies. Authorities said the scheme generated more than $17m in illegal gains for her and Pyongyang.
