IT Worker Scam Involving Americans, North Koreans, and a Mexican Man

A recent investigation by the Department of Justice (DoJ) has led to the indictment of two Americans, two North Koreans, and a Mexican man for their roles in a large-scale IT worker scam. The scammers, who used fake identities facilitated by a Mexican citizen living in Sweden, managed to secure IT jobs with at least 64 different American companies.

The Scam

The ruse, which lasted from April 2018 to last August, involved the scammers carrying out their jobs with the help of laptop farms maintained by US citizens Emanuel Ashtor and Erick Ntekereze Prince. The scammers used fake identities to secure these jobs, with the help of Pedro Ernesto Alonso De Los Reyes, a Mexican citizen living in Sweden.

Earnings from the Scam

According to the DoJ, earnings from just 10 of the 64 affected companies yielded the scammers $866,255. This highlights the lucrative nature of the scam, which was carried out over a period of several years.

The Consequences

The DoJ has noted that the scammers were able to carry out their jobs with relative ease, using fake identities and laptop farms to maintain their operations. However, the consequences of their actions have been severe, with many Americans being cheated out of their hard-earned money.

The Impact on KnowBe4

Grimes, a security expert, has reported that KnowBe4 has received applications from fake IT workers even since its first, widely publicized incident. This highlights the ongoing threat posed by these scams, and the need for vigilance on the part of Americans who may be tempted to join in.

The Threat of Arrest

While the scammers may have been able to carry out their jobs with relative ease, they are now facing the threat of arrest. This serves as a reminder that those who engage in such activities will be held accountable for their actions.

The Need for Vigilance

As Grimes notes, "A lot of them have been cheated." Many Americans have been promised a lot more, and either only got paid partially, or some of them didn’t get paid at all. So they were really cheated. This highlights the need for vigilance on the part of Americans who may be tempted to join in, and the importance of being aware of the risks involved.

Related Articles

• Cloudflare CDN Bug Outs User Locations on Signal, Discord

This article highlights the ongoing threat posed by IT worker scams, and the need for vigilance on the part of Americans who may be tempted to join in. It also serves as a reminder that those who engage in such activities will be held accountable for their actions.