北朝鮮きたちょうせんのIT技術ぎじゅつ者しゃにデータ不正ふせい提供ていきょうか 会社かいしゃ員いんら2人にん書類しょるい送検そうけん

Two Japanese company employees have been sent to the public prosecutors office by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police for allegedly illegally providing their drivers license and bank account data to individuals believed to be North Korean IT technicians, assisting them in registering on job intermediary sites by posing as Japanese.

The individuals sent to the prosecutors office are a 32-year-old company employee living in Oita City and a 34-year-old self-employed person living in Kita Ward, Tokyo.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the two are suspected of assisting in the creation of fraudulent electronic records, among other charges, for allegedly providing their drivers license and bank account data to a person believed to be a North Korean IT technician in 2020, helping this person impersonate a Japanese citizen and register on a job brokerage site.

It appears that this person impersonated two individuals who were sent documents and undertook work such as creating web pages for Japanese companies. However, based on the email addresses and computer IP addresses used, it has been found that there is a high possibility that they are IT technicians from North Korea.

<br><br>Meanwhile, the two reportedly received the remuneration paid by the company into their own accounts and then regularly transferred it to a designated overseas account.

The Metropolitan Police Department believes that North Korea repeatedly uses similar tactics as a means of acquiring foreign currency, and there is also suspicion that these funds are being used for missile development.

The National Police Agency and others called on businesses last March to strengthen measures such as thorough identity verification, suspecting that North Korean IT technicians were posing as Japanese to receive work and earn income from Japanese companies.