Fortune describes North Korea’s remote IT worker scheme as an identity-fraud and sanctions-evasion operation in which DPRK workers pose as legitimate candidates to obtain technology jobs at companies in the U.S. and other wealthy countries. The excerpt says workers use AI-generated or manipulated personas, stolen or purchased identities, detailed LinkedIn profiles, and laptop farms run by paid facilitators so they can access corporate systems remotely from locations such as China or Russia. Reported victims span Fortune 500 companies, aerospace manufacturers, financial institutions, banks, crypto startups, and companies across Europe, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. The FBI estimates the program has generated hundreds of millions to $1 billion over five years, while a UN panel estimates $250 million to $600 million in annual revenue, with earnings transferred to the North Korean regime. The risk is both operational and legal: foreign-government agents can gain internal access while employers may unintentionally violate sanctions and forced-labor restrictions.