That Developer You Hired for $25 an Hour? He Might Be Funding North Korea’s Nuclear Program
Let’s get one thing straight, I'm all for remote work. I built global teams on Upwork and Fiverr long before it was cool. But what if I told you that the same platforms we use to build our agencies are being hijacked by the most dangerous dictatorship on Earth?
I’m talking about North Korea. And no, this isn’t fear-mongering. It’s happening right now.
The Freelance Trojan Horse
Imagine this. You’ve got a tight deadline. You log onto Upwork, find a five-star React developer with a U.S. address, perfect English, and a killer portfolio. You hire him, he delivers, you’re impressed. Weeks go by, and you bring him deeper into your stack. Maybe even into your client’s backend.
Now imagine that same guy is actually in Pyongyang, working out of a regime-controlled building, under 24/7 surveillance, with a handler watching every keystroke.
His paycheck? It doesn’t go to his family. It goes straight to the North Korean government—used to buy uranium, surveillance equipment, and missile parts. Welcome to the dark side of freelance work.
How They Pull It Off
North Korea is running a global network of IT operatives—trained, controlled, and deployed like digital soldiers. Here’s the playbook:
They steal identities. American passports, Canadian phone numbers, European tax IDs. All faked, bought, or borrowed.
They pass interviews using deepfakes. Ever wonder why some freelancers never want to hop on video? Now you know.
They infiltrate Western companies. Small shops like yours. Startups. Agencies. SaaS teams. They build trust, then access, then extraction.
They use “laptop farms.” Physical devices shipped to innocent Americans, who unknowingly host remote sessions for North Korean agents.
This is not a Netflix plot. Christina Chapman, a woman in Arizona, ran one of these farms. 90+ laptops, $17 million in freelance revenue funneled to the regime.
The Slaves Behind the Screens
Let’s be clear. These freelancers aren’t free. They’re not entrepreneurs. They’re slaves. Some live in China. Some in North Korea. All of them are forced to meet quotas. Their families are used as collateral. This isn’t about hustling for a better life. This is coercion.
As an agency owner or freelancer, you might’ve already crossed paths with one. They deliver on time. They write clean code. They pass your tests. But every invoice you pay might be fueling missiles aimed at the very countries they’re pretending to work from.
Why You Should Care
You might be thinking, “Damiano, I’m running a small shop—I’m not NASA. Why would they care about me?”
Because it’s not just about espionage. It’s about money. Every dollar helps fund a regime that thrives on global chaos. And the smaller the client, the less scrutiny. That makes you the perfect target.
Also, think about the ripple effects:
You bring one of these freelancers into your agency, then refer them to a client.
They gain backend access. Maybe AWS keys. Maybe customer data.
A year later, your client gets hit with ransomware. Or worse, flagged by regulators.
Now it’s your name on the line.
That’s how this works. Quiet, slow, and deadly.
What You Can Do About It
Run real video interviews. No video, no hire. Period.
Verify location and IP logs. Ask your team to use secure VPNs and location-based tools.
Check identity documents. If someone’s resume says Chicago but their grammar says Pyongyang, investigate.
Build layered access systems. Don’t give devs full access to production systems unless they’re vetted over time.
Use zero-trust architecture. Assume breach. Segment systems. Control keys.
A Word to My Fellow Freelancers
This hits you too. Every time one of these state-backed imposters grabs a job, you lose one. Every time a client gets burned, they tighten budgets and stop outsourcing. These scams hurt the whole industry.
We built this world—remote, fast, borderless. Now we have to defend it.
I’ve hired hundreds of freelancers. I’ve built multi-million dollar agencies off the back of remote teams. I’m not anti-outsourcing. I’m anti-blindness.
It’s time to stop thinking like operators and start thinking like guardians. You don’t have to be the FBI. But you should be smart. Because sometimes, your next hire might just be funding your enemy.
Stay sharp. Stay paranoid. Stay clean.