The threat of foreign adversaries fleecing the United States for data, influence, and to do harm doesn’t dissipate. And the growth in using U.S. citizens to fuel those efforts is a threat worth noting, as a new campaign launched by the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) advises. It warns, ‘Don’t be a pawn of repressive governments.’ The campaign echoes an initiative of the FBI nearly 10-years ago, when it urged college students studying abroad to avoid becoming the target of foreign adversaries. Today, the threats of foreign intelligence most notably the People’s Republic of China are increasing rapidly within the U.S., and they’re often relying on third parties and U.S. citizens to help aid and strengthen their efforts.

Examples outlined by NCSC include:

  • As recently as February 2022, an individual who was later charged as acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government worked with a private investigator and a local U.S. law enforcement officer as part of efforts to forcibly repatriate targeted individuals to China.
  • In mid-2020, Iranian intelligence utilized the services of a private investigator as part of a foiled plot to kidnap a critic of Iran from the United States.

Tactics used include hiring private investigators, infiltrating social media sites, recruiting local community members, and co-opting law enforcement officers. In multiple cases over the past five years, the Department of Justice has outlined how private investigators and third parties have been solicited to identify and target Chinese nationals for efforts initiated by the PRC. Threats have been both digital and physical, with some campaigns involving online harassments and targeting and others physical.

NCSC is urging both law enforcement entities and private investigators and companies to exercise caution when it comes to requests to gather information, particularly any requests involving foreign entities. As the campaign emphasizes – ‘don’t be a pawn.’

 

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Lindy Kyzer is the director of content at ClearanceJobs.com. Have a conference, tip, or story idea to share? Email lindy.kyzer@clearancejobs.com. Interested in writing for ClearanceJobs.com? Learn more here.. @LindyKyzer