FBI: Foreign Virtual Targeting Using Online Job Offers To Recruit Insiders

The FBI released a warning about virtual targeting via offers to recruit insiders:  

Recruiter: “We are impressed by your government experience. We’d like to offer you paid consulting work.”

Federal retiree: “Consulting? What kind of work?”

The message sounded like a perfect opportunity. A recently retired military analyst wanting to stay professionally active was approached online by someone claiming to represent an international consulting company.

The recruiter praised the analyst’s expertise and offered flexible, remote assignments writing short reports. The work appeared harmless. The pay was generous. The recruiter seemed professional.

But the opportunity was not what it seemed.

“Foreign intelligence services frequently use professional networking websites, social media platforms, and job boards to identify and target individuals under the guise of consulting or employment,” said Roman Rozhavsky, the assistant director of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division.

The tactic is known as virtual targeting, a strategy that some foreign intelligence services use to find new intelligence sources. Instead of meeting in person, foreign actors use online platforms to identify and recruit individuals with access to sensitive or classified information.

Using false online identities, they may pose as recruiters, consulting firm representatives, researchers, or analysts to establish professional relationships and collect information that supports their intelligence objectives.

Foreign intelligence services rely heavily on online platforms because they provide direct access to potential targets. Among U.S. foreign adversaries, China is by far the most prolific practitioner.

You can read the rest of the piece via the link below:

 Foreign Virtual Targeting — FBI