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North Korean's 100k fake IT workers net $500M a year for Kim

theregister.com

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Re: North Korean's 100k fake IT workers net $500M a year for Kim

#21

Post by sam-cop-vimes »

systems wrote: post #11
1970-01-01 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think we have a word for this. At best, it is disingenuous work.

we have many words for this Con, Fraud, Secret, Poseur, Imposter .. and after googling for more terms "Pseudonymist" seem a better fit

Labeling the actual worker negatively seems harsh - they are probably being forced into it by the state. You might say they can willingly underperform and not be used this way - but if the alternative is a much harder life, could you blame them for playing along?

Re: North Korean's 100k fake IT workers net $500M a year for Kim

#22

Post by ge96 »

film42 wrote: post #16

Camera cuts to a tech bro at his desk with 3 jobs and 5 instances of Claude Code running: > I had [the Register] explain to me three times what [Kim] got arrested for because it sounds an awful lot like what I do here every day.

Camera zooms in from the bottom of the keyboard

https://youtu.be/7HWfwLBqSQ4?si=LmKuVBRVQ0y03prP&t=52

Re: North Korean's 100k fake IT workers net $500M a year for Kim

#23

Post by spwa4 »

gradyfps wrote: post #17
spwa4 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, it is (highly) illegal for them to do this. So they presumably lie about everything, like name, location, ... Perhaps fake is not the correct word, but the actual individuals are likely to have more than a few faked details. They do exist, of course. It's also very dubious becuase, well, would you really hire a worker from an organization that also does things like hack hospitals and then hold systems hostage f…

To be fair, "illegal" here doesn't matter. North Korea doesn't follow American law.

Obviously, when working you have to follow the law both in the country where you live and the country where you work. Even in the case of remote work. Sadly, even if you just consult. So you can be pretty sure: highly illegal.

Re: North Korean's 100k fake IT workers net $500M a year for Kim

#24

Post by [deleted] »

1970-01-01 wrote: post #9
abtinf wrote: post #7

I’m a little unclear on the usage of the word “fake” here. Going by article, these are real people doing actual real work, they often use stolen identities to conceal information about themselves, and they get help from outside sources to do their jobs better. Whatever the right word is, it’s not “fake”. Maybe fraudulent? Or ulterior motives? Or deceptive? Or pretext? Or threat actor? Or foreign agents?

I don't think we have a word for this. At best, it is disingenuous work.

[deleted]

Re: North Korean's 100k fake IT workers net $500M a year for Kim

#25

Post by downrightmike »

GuestFAUniverse wrote: post #5

If anyone pays so much money to someone they never met, or _dependable_ know their identity, that seems like a major fail. The whole idea that someone who couldn't legally enter the US, gets easier clearance than any tourist, or foreign academic with an opinion about the current gov that seems uncomfortable to them baffles me. Not the first time some priorities seem out of touch with reality.

BuT They"Re sO cHeAp!

Re: North Korean's 100k fake IT workers net $500M a year for Kim

#26

Post by downrightmike »

SayThatSh wrote: post #2

It's pretty impressive how far American salaries go in other countries. Between thousands of applications, if you manage to snag a single IT role with a larger corp you're potentially getting the local equivalent of dozens of people's regular income.

And it still doesn't come close to the value provided to the company

Re: North Korean's 100k fake IT workers net $500M a year for Kim

#27

Post by ambicapter »

gradyfps wrote: post #17
spwa4 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, it is (highly) illegal for them to do this. So they presumably lie about everything, like name, location, ... Perhaps fake is not the correct word, but the actual individuals are likely to have more than a few faked details. They do exist, of course. It's also very dubious becuase, well, would you really hire a worker from an organization that also does things like hack hospitals and then hold systems hostage f…

To be fair, "illegal" here doesn't matter. North Korea doesn't follow American law.

Weird take on legality. They're working American jobs, breaking American law. Yes it matters.

Re: North Korean's 100k fake IT workers net $500M a year for Kim

#28

Post by epolanski »

ck2 wrote: post #6

Actual atomic weapons not just stockpile, hundreds stave to death there daily, and everyone knows the famous satellite view of the entire country in darkness at night (while his palace is lit) Yet no oil so they will be one of the longest surviving tyrannies in history We can bet every country like them now will be building massive war drone factories too

> hundreds stave to death there daily

Yeah, you will need a solid source for that.

This isn't the 1990s, while malnutrition may happen, and there have been occasional shortages (covid was one example), it's unlikely people are starving to death in 2026, let alone multiple, let alone per day.

On top of that: North Korea is not that isolated as people think. North Koreans have smartphones and plenty of those living near the chinese border have chinese sim cards. Ever wondered why defectors say they regularly phone their family? Because virtually every north korean knows somebody with a chinese phone.

Of course flow of information outside is still tightly controlled and such, but there's zero direct evidence for starvation happening.

Re: North Korean's 100k fake IT workers net $500M a year for Kim

#29

Post by askl »

downrightmike wrote: post #25
GuestFAUniverse wrote: post #5

If anyone pays so much money to someone they never met, or _dependable_ know their identity, that seems like a major fail. The whole idea that someone who couldn't legally enter the US, gets easier clearance than any tourist, or foreign academic with an opinion about the current gov that seems uncomfortable to them baffles me. Not the first time some priorities seem out of touch with reality.

BuT They"Re sO cHeAp!

> It cites information from the US Government that these IT workers can earn more than $300,000 a year

Doesn't sound that cheap.

Re: North Korean's 100k fake IT workers net $500M a year for Kim

#30

Post by OutOfHere »

How is it that corporations can't get their act together wrt sensible hiring of remote workers? Before giving someone a final offer letter, why is it so difficult to meet them once (somewhere outside of North Korea and China)? The cost is negligible compared to a large salary.

What corporations actually do for verification also is equally damning. They ask for references, which no coworker really has an obligation to give, and it comes in the way of independent thought. Meanwhile, those from North Korea will sail through this blocker by having their fellow countrymen serve as references.

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