Chinese intelligence operatives are using fake online job adverts to lure Britons into sharing sensitive information, MI5 has warned.
According to a new alert from the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), a branch of MI5, thousands of bogus recruitment firms and websites have been created by China to target civil servants, military personnel, academics, and private defence contractors.
The ads—often offering large payments for “unique insight” reports—aim to extract government, defence, or foreign policy information, sometimes paying as much as £2,000 per report.
MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum cautioned Britons to be suspicious of job offers that “seem too good to be true,” noting that the schemes have evolved from earlier LinkedIn recruitment approaches exposed in 2023.
The NPSA urged professionals to be wary of generic roles in “international affairs” or “geopolitics,” payments in cryptocurrency, and offers involving overseas travel to non-Western countries, which may lead to direct espionage attempts.
The warning follows a broader security push this week, as the NPSA also issued new guidance to MPs on countering foreign intelligence threats.
