Chinese spies are targeting UK government and military staff on professional networking sites like LinkedIn to gain access to classified information, MI5 has warned. A bulletin issued by the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – the UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand – highlights an 'aggressive' online recruitment strategy, where agents pose as employees of private consultancies or thinktanks.
The spies advertise non-existent jobs, such as foreign policy or defence analysts, on platforms including LinkedIn, Indeed and Upwork. Candidates are then pressured to provide 'non-public' information for unspecified clients linked to the Chinese government, the agencies said on Wednesday.
According to the warning, those targeted include security clearance holders, military personnel, and individuals with indirect access to government information, such as academics, journalists and thinktank employees. Interviewers conceal their identities and later move conversations to encrypted messaging platforms, demanding more sensitive details.
Recruits are paid between a few hundred and several thousand dollars per report via payment platforms including PayPal, Payoneer and cryptocurrency. The bulletin warns that anyone involved in unauthorised disclosure could face prosecution for spying.
MI5 previously reported that Chinese agents using LinkedIn had approached at least 20,000 Britons with fake job offers. A Chinese embassy spokesperson dismissed the allegations as 'entirely fabricated' and accused Five Eyes countries of being the real threat.
