The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned individuals and entities associated with a North Korean IT worker fraud network.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against six individuals and two entities, accusing them of involvement in a North Korean-orchestrated IT worker fraud scheme that used proceeds to fund North Korean weapons programs. The sanctioned entities include North Korean company Amnokgang Technology Development Company and Vietnamese company Quangvietdnbg International Services Company Limited, whose CEO, Nguyen Quang Viet, is accused of laundering $2.5 million through cryptocurrency for the network. Do Phi Khanh, Hoang Van Nguyen, Yun Song Guk, Hoang Minh Quang, and York Louis Celestino Herrera were also sanctioned for alleged involvement in the network. The fraud network operated in North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Spain. The sanctions freeze all assets of the individuals and entities in the United States and prohibit them from engaging in any financial transactions or business dealings with the United States. OFAC also added 21 cryptocurrency addresses on the Ethereum and Tron networks to its sanctions list. Chainalysis states that North Korean IT worker fraud schemes rely on stolen and fabricated identities to obtain jobs in companies worldwide and may implant malware in company networks to steal sensitive information.