North Koreans Pose as US Citizens to Steal Crypto

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has uncovered several schemes where North Korean individuals impersonated U.S. citizens to gain fraudulent employment at American firms. Their activities included stealing cryptocurrency and sensitive information, ultimately benefiting the North Korean regime. On Monday, the DOJ announced actions against these schemes, which include filing two indictments, making an arrest, and seizing 29 financial accounts involved in laundering illegal funds. "These schemes are designed to evade sanctions and fund North Korea's illicit programs, including its weapons development," stated John A. Eisenberg, assistant attorney general of the DOJ's national security division. One specific indictment alleged that between 2021 and October 2024, the defendants used stolen identities from over 80 Americans to secure remote jobs at more than 100 U.S. companies, including several Fortune 500 giants. This led to at least $3 million in damages covering legal fees, cybersecurity enhancements, and other costs. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors in Georgia charged four North Korean nationals with stealing over $900,000 in cryptocurrency from two companies and laundering it using sophisticated methods. Court documents indicated they utilized Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixing service, to disguise the stolen funds before transferring them to accounts opened with fraudulent Malaysian IDs. These suspects are currently fugitives, wanted by the FBI. "North Korea aims to support its weapons programs by defrauding U.S. firms and exploiting identity theft victims, but the FBI is committed to dismantling this concerted effort and ensuring justice," said Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI Counterintelligence Division. Note: The Block is a media outlet that reports on the crypto industry. Foresight Ventures, a major investor, has ties to the industry but The Block maintains its independence.