Back to home
Technology

5 plead guilty to laptop farm and ID theft scheme to land North Koreans US IT jobs

Source

Ars Technica

Published

TL;DR

AI Generated

Five men have pleaded guilty to assisting North Koreans in obtaining remote IT jobs at US companies through fraudulent means, in violation of US law. The scheme, orchestrated by APT38 (also known as Lazarus), aimed to generate revenue for the North Korean regime and compromise the identities of US individuals. The men provided false or stolen identities, hosted laptops at various US locations to create the appearance of domestic work, and installed remote access software for the North Korean workers. The fraudulent employment schemes impacted over 136 US companies, generated $2.2 million for North Korea, and compromised the identities of 18 US persons.

Read Full Article

Similar Articles

Mobile SMS blasters in vehicles prowled Canadian streets, causing 13 million network disruptions and infiltrating tens of thousands of devices — blaster blocked 911 calls, stole cellphone data

Mobile SMS blasters in vehicles prowled Canadian streets, causing 13 million network disruptions and infiltrating tens of thousands of devices — blaster blocked 911 calls, stole cellphone data

Toronto police arrested three individuals running a mobile SMS blaster scheme in downtown Toronto, which caused 13 million network disruptions and infiltrated tens of thousands of devices. The SMS blasters blocked 911 calls and stole cellphone data by impersonating cell towers and sending fraudulent texts. The operation was the first of its kind in Canada and has since been dismantled, but authorities warn of continued vigilance against fraudulent texts. The devices used in the scheme were uniquely built and not publicly shared for safety reasons, and similar operations have been reported in other countries like the Philippines.

Tom's Hardware
Ransomware negotiator pleads guilty after leaking victims' insurance details to 'BlackCat' hackers — perp gave attackers a precise picture of exactly how much each target could afford to pay

Ransomware negotiator pleads guilty after leaking victims' insurance details to 'BlackCat' hackers — perp gave attackers a precise picture of exactly how much each target could afford to pay

Former ransomware negotiator Angelo Martino has pleaded guilty to collaborating with the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang to extort five U.S. companies, providing confidential details about the victims' insurance policies and negotiation perceptions. Martino's actions led to over $75 million in ransom payments, with individual payments exceeding $25 million. He also participated in deploying BlackCat ransomware against additional U.S. victims, demanding over $16 million in ransom. Law enforcement has seized more than $10 million from Martino, including cryptocurrency and various assets purchased with illicit proceeds. Martino, along with his co-conspirators, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for July 9th.

Tom's Hardware
Two US citizens get combined 16 years in prison for running North Korean laptop farms — fake remote IT work scheme netted DPRK $5 million in around three years

Two US citizens get combined 16 years in prison for running North Korean laptop farms — fake remote IT work scheme netted DPRK $5 million in around three years

Two individuals from New Jersey have been sentenced to a combined 16 years in prison for operating laptop farms that enabled North Korean IT workers to pose as Americans and work for U.S. companies, generating around $5 million for North Korea over three years. Kejia Wang and Zhenxing Wang were found guilty of wire fraud and money laundering, with Kejia serving as the U.S.-based manager of the operation. The scheme involved stealing the identities of over 80 U.S. individuals to secure positions in over 100 U.S. companies, resulting in significant financial losses for the affected businesses. The Justice Department has been cracking down on similar operations, uncovering 29 laptop farms across 16 states in mid-2025 and convicting five other individuals involved in such schemes.

Tom's Hardware
$21 billion stolen from more than 1 million Americans due to cybercrime in 2025 — $11 billion come from stolen crypto, $8.6 billion taken from investment scams, while AI-related attacks cost $893 million

$21 billion stolen from more than 1 million Americans due to cybercrime in 2025 — $11 billion come from stolen crypto, $8.6 billion taken from investment scams, while AI-related attacks cost $893 million

In 2025, cybercrime resulted in $21 billion being stolen from over 1 million Americans, with $11 billion coming from stolen cryptocurrency, $8.6 billion from investment scams, and $893 million from AI-related attacks. The FBI reported that scammers are increasingly using AI to perpetrate crimes, such as creating deepfake videos and fake social profiles. The agency also noted that most losses were due to investment scams, followed by business email compromise and tech/customer support scams. Despite efforts like the Recovery Asset Team freezing over $678 million in stolen funds, scammers continue to exploit technological advancements, making it challenging to combat these crimes.

Tom's Hardware

We use cookies

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. For more information on how we use cookies, please see our cookie policy.