Five Eyes Warns China Using Fake Jobs to Recruit Undercover Operatives
In a joint warning issued in a bulletin by the Five Eyes alliance, made up of UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand agencies, it warned undercover operatives are using legitimate sites including LinkedIn, Indeed and Upwork to advertise fake analyst jobs.
Applicants are then pressured into revealing "non-public" information which can be used by the Chinese military intelligence service.
Five Eyes warns China's spies "seek to acquire privileged military, political and economic intelligence that can provide China with a strategic and tactical advantage".
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the UK condemned the warning, describing the accusations as "purely false" and "malicious slander".
"The Five Eyes alliance is the world's largest intelligence organisation, and its members brazenly conduct espionage activities around the world. They are the real threat to peace-loving countries," they added.
Workers who could be targeted range from security clearance holders to academics and think tank employees, it warned.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis said: "I urge all government and military personnel to follow the National Protective Security Authority's advice to spot signs of online targeting and avoid inadvertently compromising our security.
"We have taken robust action to defend our country and will continue to tackle hostile actions from a range of states including China. A number of recent cases show the strength of the powers we have to bring to justice those that undertake acts on behalf of a foreign state."
Virtual interviews are carried out to discover if they have access to key areas of interest, like government contacts or military activities.
In November Jarvis said MI5 had identified two LinkedIn profiles being used on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS).
They were named as Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen. Simon Whelband, a researcher for Conservative MP Neil O'Brien said one of the accounts had contacted him.
O'Brien told the BBC: "If you were more junior, you don't know what you're looking for.
"You might think it's a genuine offer that's made to you on LinkedIn."
