The American internet company "Amazon" blocked more than 1,800 attempts by North Koreans to get employed, reported the company's security director Steven Schmidt, writes LETA citing AFP.
The regime in Pyongyang is forcing information technology specialists to seek remote work abroad in order to earn foreign currency for the regime's needs.
In a post published on LinkedIn, Schmidt states that citizens of North Korea "are trying to get remote jobs as IT specialists in companies around the world, especially in the USA."
According to Schmidt, over the past year, "Amazon" received nearly one-third more applications from North Koreans.
North Koreans typically use so-called "laptop farms" — computers physically located in the USA but controlled remotely from abroad, Schmidt writes.
He warns that this issue "is not limited to just 'Amazon'" and "is likely widespread across the industry."
Schmidt notes that North Korean applications often contain incorrectly formatted phone numbers and questionable educational documents.
In July, a resident of Arizona (USA) was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for organizing a "laptop farm" and assisting North Korean IT specialists in obtaining remote work in over 300 American companies.
According to U.S. authorities, this scheme brought the woman and North Korea more than $17 million in revenue.
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