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JapanCultureOverlooked from the left10 days ago

U.S. seizes 13 website domains tied to alleged Chinese intelligence collection

U.S. federal authorities have seized 13 internet domains linked to alleged Chinese intelligence operations. These domains are associated with fake consulting firms that reportedly targeted current or former U.S. government and military employees with job offers, aiming to obtain sensitive information. This action follows recent warnings by the U.S., UK, and other Five Eyes nations about China's increasing use of job platforms for espionage. The Chinese Embassy in London dismissed these allegations as 'pure fabrication and malicious slander.'

Federal authorities announced on Wednesday the seizure of 13 internet domains tied to what the ‌U.S. Justice Department called fake consulting firms designed to recruit current or former U.S. government and military employees to provide information to suspected Chinese ‌agents.

These fake firms target people via job listings ⁠for consulting or analyst roles, and then pressure ⁠applicants for ⁠exclusive or insider information, the department said in a statement.

The ‌announcement of the domain seizures came a week after the United ⁠States, Britain and the ⁠other Five Eyes intelligence alliance countries warned of China aggressively and increasingly using job platforms to target people for information.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to ⁠a request for comment on Wednesday. The Chinese Embassy ⁠in London told Reuters in response ‌to the Five Eyes warning that the Western claims were "pure fabrication and malicious slander."

"(Wednesday's) seizures send a clear message that any attempts to exploit Americans trusted with access to our nation's ‌most sensitive information will be exposed and dismantled," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia said in the Justice Department's statement.

Allegations that Chinese intelligence is using phony consultancies to recruit American and other Western officials are not new. Reuters reported in March 2025 that a similar network of fake ​consulting firms was attempting to enlist federal employees who had been recently fired as part of President Donald Trump's ‌downsizing and reshaping of the government.

The FBI and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center published a short film in September 2020 dramatizing the case of ‌former CIA officer Kevin Mallory, who in 2019 was sentenced ⁠to 20 years in ⁠prison after being convicted on charges ​of conspiring to transmit U.S. defense secrets to ⁠China.

Mallory had initially been ‌recruited for foreign policy consulting via social ​media, according to court records, and his story is prominently featured on an FBI website warning of "virtual espionage" using similar tactics.

© Thomson Reuters 2026.

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Source document: U.S. Justice Department Statement

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Japan TodayIndependentRight10 days ago
U.S. seizes 13 website domains tied to alleged Chinese intelligence collection

U.S. federal authorities have seized 13 internet domains linked to alleged Chinese intelligence operations. These domains are associated with fake consulting firms that reportedly targeted current or former U.S. government and military employees with job offers, aiming to obtain sensitive information. This action follows recent warnings by the U.S., UK, and other Five Eyes nations about China's increasing use of job platforms for espionage. The Chinese Embassy in London dismissed these allegations as 'pure fabrication and malicious slander.'

Bias read (Right): The article presents the U.S. government's actions against alleged Chinese espionage as a necessary and justified measure, emphasizing the exposure and dismantling of such activities. It quotes a U.S. attorney in a manner that reinforces the narrative of active threat and the need for strong counter

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