Amazon blocks 1,800 North Korean applicants in money laundering scheme
Amazon has stopped over 1,800 suspected North Korean workers from landing remote IT jobs.
These applicants tried to sneak into Amazon's workforce as part of a wider effort by Pyongyang to fund its weapons programs through global tech jobs and money laundering.
Attempts like these are on the rise—up nearly one-third this year, according to Amazon's Chief Security Officer.
How the scams work—and how Amazon fights back
North Korean operatives hijacked old LinkedIn accounts, used AI-made resumes and deepfakes for interviews, and ran "laptop farms" (US computers remotely controlled from abroad) to get hired.
Amazon's AI now flags suspicious activity linked to risky institutions or odd application patterns, while human teams double-check backgrounds and credentials.
In one case, a fake worker was caught thanks to weird keystroke delays that revealed they were working from overseas—not exactly what you want in your remote team!
This crackdown follows similar scams at hundreds of companies worldwide—including one that netted $17 million before being busted in July.