(DCWatchdog.com) – Hackers connected with the Chinese Communist Party have stolen millions of dollars worth of COVID-19 pandemic relief funds from the US government, the Secret Service revealed.
At least $20 million of US coronavirus relief funds have been siphoned off by hackers linked to the rulers of the People’s Republic of China, NBC News reported, as cited by Breitbart News.
The revelation is the first US government admission that “foreign, state-sponsored cybercriminals” committed fraud with US funds “related to the Chinese coronavirus.”
According to the US Secret Service, the Chinese hacking group APT41 stole loans and unemployment insurance money from the Small Business Administration in more than a dozen states.
However, law enforcement and cybersecurity experts have cautioned that the theft of US taxpayer money by APT41 may only be “the tip of the iceberg.”
“It would be crazy to think this group didn’t target all 50 states,” said Roy Dotson, national pandemic fraud recovery coordinator for the Secret Service.
The agency said more than 1,000 investigations were looking into transnational and domestic criminals defrauding taxpayer funds. Chinese Communist Party hackers are “a notable player” in that regard.
“[APT41 is] a “Chinese state-sponsored, cyber threat group that is highly adept at conducting espionage missions and financial crimes for personal gain,” the Secret Service explained in a statement.
The Chinese Communist hacking group uses infiltration of software and “weaponizing it against users, such as businesses and governments.” It also tracks public announcements of software flaws and targets users who don’t update their software immediately.
The report cited officials from “multiple” US law enforcement agencies as saying that APT41 has emerged as the “workhorse” of cyber hacking to the benefit of the Chinese Communist Party.
They believe the Chinese dictatorship may give the hackers directions on what entities to target.
“The United States is target number one because we are competitor number one,” commented Ambassador Nathaniel Fick, head of the State Department’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy.
“It’s a really comprehensive, multi-decade, well-considered, well-resourced, well-planned, well-executed strategy,” Fick stressed.
According to the report, the Office of the Inspector General at the US Labor Department has found about 20% of the $872.5 billion federal pandemic unemployment funds went to “improper payments.”
In reality, however, the true scope of fraud with the COVID-19 relief money may be even greater.
An analysis of the relief in four states found 42.4% of their coronavirus benefits “were paid improperly in the first six months.”
The Secret Service recently disclosed that hackers linked to the Chinese Communist Party stole at least $20 million in coronavirus relief benefits. https://t.co/Um0ZUznyiM
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) December 5, 2022
