Amazon Blocks over 1,800 Fake Applications from Alleged North Korean Agents

Amazon has reportedly blocked over 1,800 fake job applications, and the company suspects the applications come from North Korean agents. This isn’t the first incident of fake IT job applicants from North Korea, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), allegedly applying for positions in the US. There have been multiple reports warning employers against the looming threat, reminding recruiters to ensure they conduct thorough background checks to ensure their new hires are who they say they are. With fake or stolen identities and AI tools to aid in their schemings, scammers are growing more brazen in their attempts to infiltrate the ranks of organizations outside their country’s borders. 

Amazon has reportedly blocked over 1,800 job applications from suspected North Korean agents, alerting HR to the rise of employment scams. (Image: Pexels)

Amazon Blocks Over 1,800 Fake Applications from North Korean Agents: Here’s What We Know

The Amazon news with regard to the fake applicants was revealed by a lead executive from the organization, Amazon’s Chief Security Officer, Stephen Schmidt. Speaking about the intentions of these supposed North Korean job impostors in a post on LinkedIn, he added that “Their objective is typically straightforward: get hired, get paid, and funnel wages back to fund the regime’s weapons programs.” He also indicated that this was likely occurring in the industry, especially in the US. 

While these scammers haven’t explicitly come out to report on the purpose of their fake applications, the benefits are clear enough to see. Apart from earning dollars remotely to send home, access to these major tech organizations also provides them with insights into the advanced technology and strategies used by businesses. Accessing internal trade secrets can allow scammers to misuse them, build their own systems, or wreak havoc while they are busy “at work.” 

Bigger businesses are at greater risk of being targeted by these scams, but they also have a greater number of resources to conduct background checks or identify the scammers. Small businesses, while having less to offer to scammers, are far more vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, and the number of online risks is currently on the rise.

How Are These North Korea Agents Reported to Be Faking Their IT Job Applications?

Returning to the Amazon report on job fraud, the company has witnessed a 27% rise in these fraudulent job applicants from North Korea or other external locations. These operatives have been accused of typically managing “laptop farms” with computers based in the US that are run remotely from outside. 

Amazon CSO Schmidt reported that a slight technical delay in keystroke data from a laptop assigned to a new IT worker alerted the company to the scam. The delay suggested the worker, who was hired through a contractor, was not located in the US and that they were “likely half a world away.” The security team discovered further evidence that the device was being controlled from a distance, and the patterns were linked to other such incidents with North Korean agents.

The BBC reports that many bad actors take over dormant LinkedIn accounts using leaked credentials to further solidify the authenticity of their job applications and benefit from an existing persona that they don’t have to create. The theft of real identities strengthens the scam, but it also shows how employees are vulnerable to scammers who might misuse their identities. The threat isn’t just one for businesses to endure but one that threatens honest workers as well, emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity training and protecting one’s presence online.

The Role of AI in These Scams Run by Fake Job Seekers

The rise of AI has been applauded for more reasons than one, but there have been obvious downsides as well. The technology makes it easier to fake voices, accents, identities, responses, and other aspects that are observed in the recruitment process. On the flip side, AI has also made it easier to identify these scams. 

“Our AI model analyzes connections to nearly 200 high-risk institutions, anomalies across applications, and geographic inconsistencies,” Amazon CSO explained. “We verify identities through background checks, credential verification, and structured interviews.”

The role of AI in this presents us with both the problem and the solution, alerting businesses to the importance of familiarizing themselves with the ins and outs of this technology.

Employers and HR Teams Need To Stay Alert While Hiring Talent

While Amazon managed to block the fake applications and eliminate its fake hires, there is no way to conclusively determine the scale of these scams. We have limited insights on how well scammers have ingrained themselves into the US job market, and as technology evolves, so will these scams. Fake job seekers are making the most of the chaos in the job market, and they pose a serious threat to businesses and their trade secrets. 

This is particularly a concern for organizations that offer remote work options, as these posts require no face-to-face interactions. Fake DPRK job applications may be hard to spot, considering the work that goes into building up these personas, but organizations need to remain on high alert to ensure they are aware of all the tricks used by scammers. From phishing emails to fake communications from HR, there are many ways that bad actors can take advantage of vulnerabilities in a heartbeat.

Investing in cybersecurity infrastructure is part of the solution, but it is just as important to provide regular training to employees. The training can not only help employees protect their own personal data online but also help them become more aware of possible scams running within the organization. Businesses are tasked with the job of protecting client and employee data, and any leaks can prove costly, no matter who is at fault. 

What do you think about the fake applications from North Korean agents that were reported by Amazon? Share your opinion on these online threats with us in the comments. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.