FBI: Chinese spies recruiting US military on social media

The FBI warns that Chinese spies have become more active and are trying to establish contact with current and former US military personnel. Their goal is to recruit them and obtain American intelligence.

Social media and professional websites have become convenient platforms for Chinese spies. Earlier this week, CBS released a report. Two federal officials shared with the network their findings about «virtual Chinese espionage». This is a type of espionage that relies heavily on online services.

Thomas Zhao, a U.S. Navy sailor and naturalized citizen, has become one of the targets of Chinese spies.

Last January, he was sentenced to 27 months in prison for taking photos of a U.S. military base for a Chinese man who paid him about $15,000.

US Navy Special Agent Ryan Norris, who investigated Zhao's case, says it all started with a conversation on the Chinese social network WeChat.

Zhao joined a group whose members shared information about stocks and trading. There he met a man posing as an investor. He asked Zhao to gather secret intelligence.

According to court documents, the data contained plans for the US Navy in the Pacific. The Pentagon sees the region as critical in countering Chinese military threats.

Among the leaked data are drawings of a radar system the US has installed in Japan.

The Justice Department said Zhao had carried out at least fourteen missions over two years.

The FBI's counterintelligence chief, Kevin Vorndran, says this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The US Justice Department has convicted three of these in the past two years. At least ten more such cases have been identified so far.

The strategy of «virtual espionage» does not require large expenses and does not carry high risks. But at the same time it is very effective compared to traditional methods, such as in-person meetings to transfer stolen intelligence.

According to a special agent of the Navy, Chinese spies can turn to an unlimited number of people to obtain data. And such leaks are costly for national security.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the activity of Chinese spies in the United States has increased sharply. Unable to travel abroad, they have begun to work online. At the same time, there are suspicions that social networks such as Wechat are handing over users' personal data to Chinese authorities, helping them find US military and government employees.

Federal officials warn that China is also using sites such as LinkedIn, where professionals commonly post their resumes.