Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Tech Style & Beauty Kitchen & Dining Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNewsCanadaCanadian PoliticsThat hot person on LinkedIn offering you a 'too good to be true' job? It might be a Chinese spyIt's not the first time that CSIS has warned of foreign spies posing as online job recruiters, but the tone and depth of the advisory suggest the scheme is increasingly successfulLast updated 34 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.LinkedIn. Photo by Contributed /Souvik Banerjee photo/UnsplashOTTAWA — That hot person who reached out on LinkedIn or Indeed to offer you a job that feels “too good to be true”? They may be a Chinese intelligence agent, warns Canada’s spy agency.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorIn a new advisory with its Five Eyes intelligence sharing partners, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) sounded the alarm Wednesday on an increasingly popular method for Chinese spies to steal information from Canadians: online hiring websites.The warning comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney looks to increase trade ties with China and establish a new “strategic partnership” with the Asian economic behemoth after years of diplomatic chill.“China’s military intelligence is using an increasingly wide array of professional networking sites and online job platforms to target Five Eyes government and military personnel—and anyone with access to classified or privileged information,” reads the advisory.“Successful candidates are pressured to provide ‘non-public’ information for unspecified clients who are associated with the Chinese government. Chinese military intelligence services ultimately seek to acquire privileged military, political and economic intelligence that can provide China with a strategic and tactical advantage over the Five Eyes,” it continues.It’s not the first time that CSIS has warned of foreign spies posing as online job recruiters, but the tone and depth of the advisory suggest the scheme is increasingly successful — and problematic for Western governments.According to the advisory, Chinese spies are looking to covertly recruit people who hold security clearances within their respective governments, military personnel or individuals with “indirect or peripheral” access to government information such as academics, journalists or researchers.The scheme is simple and yet effective enough for Five Eyes intelligence agencies (Canada, U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand) to feel the need to warn their citizens of it.According to the advisory, Chinese spies pose as recruiters or consultants on websites such as LinkedIn, Indeed or freelance work boards and claim to work for fake “cover companies” based anywhere but China.Usually, the profile picture shows an attractive individual with a common name who appears to be young but holds an uncharacteristically senior job title, CSIS warned.They either post jobs looking for individuals with geopolitical, national security or defence expertise, or reach out to such people offering them freelance work.The job posts or offers are often generic, rife with spelling errors and “too good to be true,” the advisory said. They also offer to pay using unconventional methods such as cryptocurrency and promise more money for “non-public information”, CSIS warned.After making contact, the recruiters tend to offer an interview where they start probing for information or looking for contacts in sensitive sectors or government. They’ll generally also ask targets to do an initial test report before being told that subsequent reports will require “more privileged information,” which comes with more money.Though not all targets will have classified information they can share, even unclassified or private information on government is of great interest to Chinese spies, CSIS said.“While applicants often have no direct access to classified information, even unclassified information on government policy, or on military strategy, capabilities and installations, can be collected and combined with more sensitive reporting to form a comprehensive operational picture,” reads the advisory.“Certain types of data can place the lives of frontline military or other personnel at risk, can weaken our economic prosperity, and enable interference in our democratic processes.”National Postcnardi@postmedia.comOur website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. 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