Amazon blocks 1,800 fake IT job bids linked to North Korea

Amazon said it blocked over 1,800 job applications from suspected North Korean agents attempting to secure remote IT roles.

The company identified these applicants as using stolen or fake identities, according to chief security officer Stephen Schmidt.

He reported a near one-third rise in such applications in the past year.

Amazon used AI and staff verification to screen applicants, and noted that fraud tactics are becoming more advanced, including hijacking dormant LinkedIn accounts and targeting legitimate software engineers.

In June, the US Department of Justice uncovered 29 illegal “laptop farms” operated by North Korean IT workers using stolen American identities.

🔗 Source: BBC

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Amazon’s actions slow fraud while the threat’s size remains unknown

Amazon blocked more than 1,800 applications. The FBI warns that most firms hiring fully remote IT staff likely interviewed or brought on a North Korean national working for the regime 1.
By May 2024, more than 300 companies had been hit 1. No public estimate exists for how many Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) IT specialists operate worldwide or the revenue they generate, and the regime fields thousands of skilled staff in China and Russia 2.
An Arizona case tied to a North Korea-linked remote hiring scheme pulled in more than $17 million in illicit funds. Without sector-wide data on targets or platform weak spots, companies cannot gauge if their exposure matches Amazon’s or signals a broader recruiting risk across tech.

Remote hiring fraud opens a lane for identity verification vendors

Rising North Korean IT worker threats fuel demand for Know-Your-Employee (KYE) checks that blend identity proofing, device geolocation, and sanctions screening. Veriff, a verification provider, automates remote reviews for human resources (HR) teams across more than 12,000 document specimens 3.
Applicant tracking systems and staffing firms can plug in Sanction Scanner, a sanctions and compliance firm 4. Its API-first Anti-Money Laundering (AML) screening reduces false positives and onboarding time to help clients avoid onboarding prohibited individuals.
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) can impose civil fines on a strict liability basis with possible criminal charges 2. HR technology integrators are software providers and systems integrators that serve HR teams. They should partner with providers like ComplyAdvantage for real-time adverse media monitoring, which is automated scanning for relevant negative news 4. That helps them build stronger screening.