MI5 warns Chinese spies using job websites to target government staff

Article excerpt

Britain's MI5 intelligence agency has issued a public warning about Chinese undercover operatives posing as recruiters on job websites to identify and compromise government workers. The fake headhunters contact civil servants and officials with seemingly legitimate job offers, gathering personal information and looking for those with access to sensitive data or vulnerable to exploitation. MI5 officials say the scheme represents a significant counterintelligence threat, though the agency has not disclosed how many British officials may have been targeted. The warning urges government employees to be wary of unsolicited recruitment contacts and to report suspicious approaches to their security officers.