Feed: Slashdot
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Title: North Korean 'Laptop Farm' Operation Netted $17 Million Through
Unwitting American Accomplice

Link: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/05/28/10462...

A former Minnesota waitress unknowingly helped North Korean workers steal
$17.1 million in wages from over 300 American companies through an elaborate
remote work scheme, federal prosecutors said this week. Christina Chapman
operated a "laptop farm" from her home, managing dozens of computers that
allowed North Koreans using stolen U.S. identities to work as legitimate tech
employees. The FBI estimates this broader infiltration involves thousands of
North Korean workers generating hundreds of millions annually for the
sanctions-hit regime. Chapman, recruited via LinkedIn in 2020 to serve as
"the U.S. face" for overseas IT workers, handled logistics including
receiving company laptops, installing remote access software, and processing
falsified employment documents. The North Korean workers accessed the devices
daily from overseas, with some maintaining jobs for months or years at major
American corporations. Chapman earned just under $177,000 before the FBI
raided her Arizona operation in October 2023, seizing over 90 computers. She
pleaded guilty in February to wire fraud, identity theft, and money
laundering charges, facing up to nine years in prison at her July sentencing.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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