An Arizona woman, Christina Marie Chapman, has been charged by the Department of Justice in a fraud scheme that aided North Koreans in securing remote IT jobs with American companies. The scheme was designed to circumvent U.S. sanctions against North Korea and access confidential information. The affected companies, including Fortune 500 companies, a major TV network, a Silicon Valley tech company, an aerospace and defense manufacturer, a cybersecurity firm, a restaurant chain, a clothing brand, and an iconic auto manufacturer, were unaware of the fraud and believed they were hiring U.S. workers. Chapman allegedly operated a “laptop farm” in her home to help the workers connect remotely and make it appear as if they were based in the U.S. She also assisted in cashing paychecks and sending money back to North Korea in violation of sanctions, generating over $6.8 million in revenue. The scheme used the identities of at least 60 U.S. citizens and compromised their personal information. The FBI conducted the investigations and issued a public service announcement urging companies to implement identity verification standards in the hiring process and educate HR staff and managers about the threat. Oleksandr Didenko, a Ukrainian national, and Minh Phuong Vong, a Vietnamese national, were also arrested in connection with the scheme. Three North Korean nationals named in the indictment have ties to the North Korean weapons production department.
