Amazon Blocks 1,800 N. Koreans From Job Applications

Amazon has announced that it has blocked more than 1,800 North Korean nationals from applying for jobs at the company, amid growing concerns that Pyongyang is deploying overseas IT workers to generate and launder funds.

Stephen Schmidt, Amazon’s chief security officer, said the company has seen a sharp rise in attempts by North Koreans to secure remote jobs in the global technology sector, particularly in the United States. 

According to Schmidt, applications linked to North Korean workers increased by nearly one third over the past year.

Amazon said these applicants typically seek remote IT roles and often rely on laptop farms, a method in which computers physically located in the United States are operated remotely from abroad. 

This tactic is used to bypass location checks and appear as if the worker is US based.

Schmidt warned that the issue is not limited to Amazon and is likely widespread across the technology industry. He noted that common warning signs include incorrectly formatted phone numbers and questionable academic credentials.

The announcement comes amid heightened scrutiny of North Korean cyber and IT operations. 

In July, a woman from Arizona was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for running a laptop farm that helped North Korean IT workers obtain remote jobs at more than 300 US companies.

Officials said the scheme generated more than 17 million dollars in revenue for both the organiser and North Korea.

Separately, South Korea’s intelligence agency warned last year that North Korean operatives had used LinkedIn to pose as recruiters and contact South Korean employees at defence companies in an effort to obtain sensitive information about advanced technologies.