Five individuals have confessed to aiding North Koreans in impersonating US-based IT workers as part of a large-scale scheme to defraud American companies. The defendants knowingly provided false identities, hosted company laptops at their residences across the country, and even took drug tests on behalf of the fake workers.
The US Department of Justice announced that Audricus Phagnasay, Jason Salazar, Alexander Paul Travis, Erick Ntekereze Prince, and Oleksandr Didenko had pleaded guilty to various wire fraud conspiracy charges. Travis was paid at least $51,397 for his involvement, while Phagnasay and Salazar earned around $3,450 and $4,500 respectively.
One of the facilitators, Prince, took advantage of his company's position to contract certified IT workers to other US companies, fully aware that they were using stolen identities. He earned over $89,000 for his participation in the scam and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy.
Another defendant, Didenko, is facing charges for his role in a large-scale identity theft operation, which involved foreign IT workers fraudulently gaining employment at 40 US companies. As part of his plea agreement, he will forfeit $1.4 million.
The Justice Department's announcement stated that the prosecutions send a clear message: the United States will not tolerate North Korea using such tactics to fund its military programs by preying on American companies and workers. The department will continue to work with partners across the government to uncover these schemes, recover stolen funds, and pursue individuals who enable North Korea's operations.
The US Department of Justice announced that Audricus Phagnasay, Jason Salazar, Alexander Paul Travis, Erick Ntekereze Prince, and Oleksandr Didenko had pleaded guilty to various wire fraud conspiracy charges. Travis was paid at least $51,397 for his involvement, while Phagnasay and Salazar earned around $3,450 and $4,500 respectively.
One of the facilitators, Prince, took advantage of his company's position to contract certified IT workers to other US companies, fully aware that they were using stolen identities. He earned over $89,000 for his participation in the scam and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy.
Another defendant, Didenko, is facing charges for his role in a large-scale identity theft operation, which involved foreign IT workers fraudulently gaining employment at 40 US companies. As part of his plea agreement, he will forfeit $1.4 million.
The Justice Department's announcement stated that the prosecutions send a clear message: the United States will not tolerate North Korea using such tactics to fund its military programs by preying on American companies and workers. The department will continue to work with partners across the government to uncover these schemes, recover stolen funds, and pursue individuals who enable North Korea's operations.
I'm all about being mindful of our online presence, you know? And this whole thing just blew my mind - these people were essentially renting out their identities as IT workers, and it's wild to think about how many companies might've been duped by them. 
It's like, what even is the point of impersonating someone if you're not even going to be honest with yourself? 
And poor Didenko's gonna have to give up $1.4 million - that's a lot of money! 
I guess it just goes to show how important it is to be vigilant and protect our personal info online. 
You gotta stay aware, you know? 
I mean, these guys were basically playing a real-life version of The Social Network but instead of being geniuses, they're just thieves 
. They thought they could get away with using fake IDs and taking advantage of US companies? Yeah right, the law caught up to them eventually. And poor Prince, he was like the IT guy in The Office 
, taking advantage of his company's trust for personal gain. Anyway, glad the authorities are on top of this and are cracking down on North Korea's sneaky tactics 
. It's not right that these companies had to fall victim to their schemes, but at least we're getting some justice now 
.
These guys are lowkey geniuses in a bad way lol. I mean, who comes up with this stuff? Alright alright I get it, they got caught but still... $89k for taking fake IDs and handing them out to other people? That's wild. And the fact that one guy was making bank off of cert IT workers is just insane. But you know what's even crazier? The scale of this operation. 40 US companies? That's like a whole industry. I'm not saying it's okay or anything, but it just goes to show how desperate and ruthless these schemes can get. And the fact that the US Department of Justice is all over it like white on rice... kudos to them for cracking down hard. 
another scammer caught 
. It just goes to show how far-reaching and insidious these types of scams can be, often at the expense of unsuspecting American businesses and employees 
.
. The scale of this operation is staggering, with over 40 US companies affected and millions of dollars in stolen funds 
These 5 ppl r like total scammers! They knew they were usin fake IDs & stealin from Americans but still managed 2 get away w/ it for so long 
. And now we know that a bunch of people from the States got caught up in it too, earning some pretty decent cash while doing so 
.
.
Those guys were literally committing some serious crimes but at the same time... it's wild to think that some of them were just trying to make a living. Travis makes like 50k for doing something shady? That's crazy 
It's hard to feel good about someone getting in trouble when there are people on the other side doing stuff way worse.
But can't we all just get along? I guess not. 
. and what really gets my goat is how some of these guys were just looking out for themselves - prince, you're a real stand-up guy 
. anyway, glad the DOJ's cracking down on this stuff... we need to make sure our companies aren't being scammed left and right 
.
. It's crazy that some guys would use fake identities and take advantage of others just for a payday 
. And the fact that they were using stolen identities is just devastating 
. I'm so grateful that some of these guys are taking responsibility and cooperating with the authorities 
. We need to support each other and stay vigilant when it comes to identity theft and scams 
.