Microsoft suspends 3,000 Outlook and Hotmail accounts created by North Korean IT workers

Ontario architect's seal forged by remote worker believed to be North Korean fraudster

In mid-May, an online researcher posted a series of professional stamps on X bearing the names of engineers across the United States. The researcher claimed they were being used by North Korean remote workers. Among them was the seal of Canadian architect Stephen Mauro.

Microsoft suspends 3,000 Outlook and Hotmail accounts created by North Korean IT workers

The company said it discovered a repository of resumes and email accounts the workers are using to apply for jobs.

Microsoft cleans up 3,000 email accounts linked to North Korean IT workers

Microsoft has suspended 3000 Outlook and Hotmail accounts tied to a North Korean scheme involving DPRK nationals posing as remote workers under false identities. U.S. officials have long warned that North Korea uses illicit earnings from crypto hacks, fraud, and IT operations to bypass international sanctions and maintain its military programs. Authorities are now cracking down on what they are calling a global criminal operation that secretly f…