China: China’s spy agency has issued a warning to students with access to sensitive information, cautioning them not to fall prey to “handsome men” or “beautiful women” who may attempt to recruit them for espionage or compromise national security. In a statement shared on WeChat, the Ministry of State Security details various methods that can be used to manipulate students into revealing confidential information. The ministry said foreign spies have been working to lure Chinese loyal to their country into betraying their country since opening WeChat accounts last year – often in strange and unusual ways. “State security departments have found that operatives of foreign espionage and intelligence organizations have targeted young students to lure and infiltrate them,” it said. However, the agency did not disclose specific details of the countries that have targeted Chinese students.
The agency said operatives from foreign intelligence agencies specifically target college students who have access to classified and sensitive scientific research data by disguising themselves as university scholars and employees of scientific research institutes and consulting companies.
“They take advantage of young students’ characteristics of intense curiosity and willingness to try new things,” it said in a statement.
Foreign spies lure young Chinese students with “high-paying part-time opportunities in the name of market research or academic exchanges,” it also said. Additionally, the Chinese spy agency revealed that after students express interest, foreign intelligence agencies provide “free training and guidance” through social media, phone calls or video conferencing. They often pretend to be “handsome men” and “beautiful women” who seem intimate and considerate, luring young students into their trap with false affection. In a separate advisory issued earlier this month, the agency also cautioned the public about “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” saying foreign intelligence agents could disguise themselves as “good Samaritans” to defraud individuals.
