Save Your Tech Team from North Korean Developers
They looked like skilled remote developers. They even spoke decent English. But behind the screen? They are North Korean operatives using stolen identities to infiltrate U.S. tech teams.
Don’t let your company become the next cautionary tale. Here’s how TurnKey Tech Staffing keeps your team secure — with airtight vetting, legal firewalls, and zero room for error.
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News That Shocked the US Tech Industry: North Korean Developers Infiltrate U.S. Companies
The U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI filed indictments in April 2025, exposing a long-running North Korean covert operation. They had successfully placed tech professionals inside at least 64 U.S. companies since April 2018, using stolen or fabricated identities, doctored résumés, synthetic fake profiles, and “laptop farms” to funnel earnings directly back to Pyongyang’s weapons development programs.
at www.IC3.gov
A parallel FBI public service alert in January 2025 warned that this wasn’t just a financial ploy. North Korean operatives were using remote access to exfiltrate proprietary code, engage in data extortion, and install malicious backdoors, even threatening victims with ransom demands.
Cybersecurity researchers also confirmed that this malicious activity has been “on a scale we haven’t seen before,” with dozens of elite hackers dispatched abroad posing as onsite U.S.-based engineers across startups, Fortune 100 firms, media corporations, defense contractors, and even crypto companies.
A particularly shocking case reported by the Wall Street Journal in May 2025 revealed a “laptop farm” in Arizona. It was run by an unwitting U.S. citizen who managed over 90 machines for North Korean operatives, channeling tens of millions in unauthorized payroll across more than 300 U.S. firms.
This scheme funneled reddened funds into Pyongyang’s military complex, showing how blind remote hiring can directly feed authoritarian regimes and compromise sensitive internal systems.
Why This Would Never Happen to TurnKey’s Clients
At TurnKey Tech Staffing, we don’t just recruit offshore talent — we de-risk your hiring process from end to end. While other companies can fall victim to elaborate fraud schemes and identity deception, TurnKey clients are protected by an ironclad sourcing and compliance system that stops threats before they ever get close.
Here’s why our clients will never find a North Korean operative in their codebase:
✅ Deep Background Checks You Can Trust
We go far beyond surface-level resume reviews. Every candidate undergoes multi-layer verification, including identity authentication, professional reference checks, and comprehensive security screening. This screening process includes criminal background checks (where legally permitted) and cross-referencing with global watchlists. No proxies. No rented identities. No fake passports.
✅ Custom Recruitment — No Benched Candidates
Unlike many offshore firms, we don’t pull from a mystery “bench.” Every developer we present is handpicked for your role and fully vetted. You meet them, test them, and know exactly who you’re bringing on board.
✅ Local Presence, Global Oversight
With boots-on-the-ground recruiting teams in Eastern Europe and Latin America, we know the communities we hire from. This local intelligence dramatically reduces fraud risk and increases our ability to verify candidates in person when needed.
✅ Top-Tier Legal & Compliance Firewall
TurnKey’s in-house legal team ensures airtight contracts, full IP assignment, and local labor law compliance through our world-class Employer of Record services. You’re fully shielded from legal, tax, and liability risks, even in the most complex jurisdictions.
✅ One Monthly Invoice, Zero Surprises
TurnKey provides full pricing transparency, including exact developer salaries and our capped service fee. No third-party payouts. No shadow compensation channels. Nothing that can be exploited for malicious financial flows.
The Legal Firewall: TurnKey’s EOR and Compliance Program
Don’t know how to approach the legal aspects of international hiring? Afraid of missing something crucial and then finding yourself in a news article about an international scam? Don’t worry – TurnKey will relieve you of all legal liabilities so you can sleep calmly. Here’s how we keep your business bulletproof:
🛡️ You’re Never the Legal Employer — We Are
Through our robust EOR structure, TurnKey becomes the official legal employer of your offshore developers. That means we absorb the legal and tax liability, not you. You get the benefits of a global workforce, with none of the headaches or risks.
🧾 Ironclad Contracts with Full IP Protection
All contracts are drafted and executed in full compliance with local labor laws. Every developer signs strict agreements that assign 100% of all intellectual property rights to you, with no loopholes, no exceptions, and no chance of dispute.
🔍 Comprehensive Identity & Sanctions Screening
Before any developer is onboarded, they are thoroughly vetted across multiple databases, including Interpol and global sanctions lists. If there’s even a whiff of red flags, they don’t make it through. We also do security and identity checks, so no one with a fake ID and resume will get through.
⚖️ Always Compliant, Always Covered
We stay on top of tax codes, labor law changes, benefit requirements, and employment standards in every jurisdiction we operate in. You’ll never get caught off guard by a missed filing, incorrect classification, or compliance breach.
Summing Up
Remote work has opened the door to incredible global talent but also to very real global threats. But that doesn’t mean that we need to abolish the idea of remote hiring – we just need to be careful.
And that’s what we do at TurnKey Tech Staffing. With bulletproof background checks, world-class legal infrastructure, and handpicked, fully verified talent from Eastern Europe and Latin America, our clients never worry about who’s really behind the screen.
✅ No fake résumés.
✅ No hidden locations.
✅ No legal exposure.
✅ Just top-tier, fully vetted developers who are exactly who they say they are.
Ready to build your dream tech team — without the nightmare risks? TurnKey is your first and best line of defense.
FAQ
Most of these developers use stolen identities, fake documents, and proxy servers to appear as U.S.-based remote developers. They often go through third-party platforms or unvetted recruiters who don’t verify their actual location or background. Once inside, they can access sensitive code, infrastructure, and client data — often without the company realizing the risk until it’s too late.
Unlike generic hiring platforms, TurnKey runs deep, manual background checks, verifies real-world identity and location, screens against international sanctions lists, and conducts personal reference calls. We never pull candidates from a "bench" — every developer is custom-recruited and thoroughly vetted to eliminate fraud, fake identities, and security risks.
TurnKey acts as the Employer of Record (EOR), which means we assume all employment-related legal liability. We handle contracts, compliance, taxes, benefits, and IP rights — all in full accordance with local and international laws. You stay protected from misclassification, fraud, and regulatory issues, while we handle the risk.
TurnKey Staffing provides information for general guidance only and does not offer legal, tax, or accounting advice. We encourage you to consult with professional advisors before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business or legal rights.
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