FBI Seizes 13 Domains in Alleged Chinese Espionage Sting Targeting US Officials

The FBI has seized 13 internet domains that US officials allege were part of a Chinese intelligence operation to recruit Americans with access to classified information. The websites posed as legitimate consulting firms, advertising vacancies tailored to holders of security clearances, but the job postings were entirely fictitious. The domain takedown, announced by the Justice Department on Wednesday, marks the latest move in an escalating transatlantic effort to counter what Western agencies describe as a systematic Chinese espionage campaign.

The action came just days after the Five Eyes intelligence alliance — comprising the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — issued a rare public warning about Chinese operatives masquerading as recruiters for consultancies and think tanks. Viewed from Washington, the fake sites illustrate an increasingly sophisticated digital toolkit. Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said in a statement that Chinese intelligence services had resorted to using AI-generated content, professional networking platforms and online payment systems to “trick, recruit, or coerce” clearance holders into divulging sensitive information. The seized domains, which mimicked the names of genuine advisory firms, were used to initiate contact with targets before shifting to encrypted channels.

From Paris, the operation was reported as further evidence of a long-running Chinese intelligence practice, with Le Figaro underscoring the Five Eyes coordination. In Buenos Aires, Ámbito Financiero noted that Washington maintains the ultimate goal was to harvest strategic data for Beijing’s military and technological programmes. The coordinated disclosure, analysts in London point out, reflects a conscious effort by Western allies to expose operational methods that have traditionally remained classified, betting that sunlight will disrupt future attempts.

While Beijing has not issued an immediate response to the domain seizures, the episode highlights the growing weaponisation of legitimate recruitment platforms in state-on-state espionage. As AI tools make it cheaper to generate convincing fake profiles, counterintelligence officials face the challenge of distinguishing lawful head-hunting from hostile intelligence collection. For Western agencies, the human element remains the weakest link in any security apparatus, and digital impersonation can turn job-seeking into a national security vulnerability. The FBI has signalled that the domain takedown is only one element of a broader investigation, suggesting that further disclosures — and likely corresponding diplomatic friction — lie ahead.