The U.S. federal justice department announced on June 10 that it had seized 13 Internet domain names related to "fake consulting companies," saying that these websites were used to recruit current or former U.S. government and military employees, obtain sensitive information, and transfer it to people suspected of working for Chinese intelligence agencies.
The U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement that these fictitious consulting companies proactively contacted target candidates by posting recruitment information for consultant or analyst positions, and pressured the applicants during the recruitment process, requiring them to provide exclusive or insider information. The Justice Department said such practices are intended to exploit people with the most sensitive information about the United States to gain access to intelligence and secrets.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a statement that the seizure of the relevant domain names "sends a clear signal: Any attempt to take advantage of Americans who have been given the trust to access the nation's most sensitive information will be exposed and destroyed." She stressed that law enforcement agencies will continue to crack down on intelligence gathering activities carried out through online platforms and disguised companies.
The action was announced a week after a joint warning from members of the Five Eyes alliance. The United States, the United Kingdom and other Five Eyes intelligence alliance countries have jointly pointed out that China is increasingly actively using recruitment and job search platforms to identify and target individuals with sensitive information and induce them to provide intelligence. Intelligence and security agencies in various countries remind government personnel and practitioners in confidential positions to be highly vigilant about unusually lucrative consulting or part-time opportunities.
Regarding the accusations made by the United States, Britain and other countries, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Washington refuted the so-called "Chinese espionage threat" as "completely fabricated and malicious slander" and expressed "strong condemnation" of it. China has always denied accusations of using fake companies or recruitment channels to conduct illegal intelligence activities overseas.
This is not the first time that claims have emerged that Chinese intelligence services allegedly used bogus consulting firms to gain access to and advance officials in the United States and other Western countries. Reuters reported in March 2025 that a similar network of "fake consulting firms" sought to recruit federal employees recently laid off as President Donald Trump's push for government cuts and reorganization as potential intelligence sources.
The FBI and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center released a short film as early as September 2020, dramatizing the case of former CIA officer Kevin Mallory. Mallory was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2019 for conspiring to pass U.S. defense secrets to China. According to court records, he initially obtained a foreign policy consulting opportunity through social media, thereby establishing contact with the other party, and was eventually involved in the act of "providing secrets to foreign parties."
Mallory's story is now placed on the FBI's webpage dedicated to warning about "virtual espionage activities" to remind the public, especially former government or military personnel with sensitive information, to be wary of consultation invitations and recruitment information that appear to be legitimate but actually have ulterior motives. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies also called on relevant practitioners to take the initiative to verify the other party's background and report suspicious contacts through official channels when faced with "highly paid consulting opportunities" involving sensitive business backgrounds.