If you’re actively looking for a job online and using sites like LinkedIn, Upwork, and Indeed, you may want to be careful. It has been reported that China is targeting digital job platforms as a way to access classified information. According to reports from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, made up of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, Chinese spies are posting fake jobs in an attempt to gather sensitive information. This led national intelligence agencies like the FBI to warn the public about job postings on LinkedIn, in the same way that the FBI had warned about replacing Wi-Fi routers.
On LinkedIn, Chinese military intelligence agents allegedly posed as recruiters for foreign policy and defense analyst positions. Once someone applies for the position, recruiters ask candidates to provide them with non-public information. Potential candidates include anyone who may work in certain job sectors and markets that may involve areas such as security, government, licensing, military personnel, and even journalists. Applicants are invited to write an article covering political themes such as China’s international relations, defense capabilities or trade agreements.
Government agencies in the Five Eyes countries are urging anyone who may find themselves targeted to exercise caution. This is also not the first report that the Chinese are using technology to access sensitive information, with investigations suggesting that China may have hacked AT&T and Verizon.
How to protect yourself on LinkedIn
Job platforms like LinkedIn can contain many scams and fake jobs. This is something candidates should look out for when using the platform and others. With fake job postings prevalent on recruitment platforms, it’s important to know what to look for to best protect yourself and your time.
To better spot a job that may be going nowhere or a scam, do thorough research before applying. If you see a job posting on a recruiting platform, go to the company’s website to check there. Another way to tell is if the job requires an upfront payment. However, one of the most important clues is if a company asks you for sensitive and personal information during the process. Companies will ask you for details such as a social security number once you’re onboarded. Additionally, it is good to check if the job posting was published by AI, as this could lead you to a questionable source infected with malware.
