Hackers linked to Chinese government STOLE $20 million in Covid relief benefits ... trends now
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Hackers linked to China's government stole at least $20 million in U.S. Covid relief benefits, including small business loans and unemployment funds, across over a dozen states.
The cyber crime was the work of a hacking group called APT41 based in Chengdu, according to the Secret Service.
Those officials and experts told the outlet that other federal probes of pandemic fraud also seem to point back to foreign-state hackers. It wouldn't be the first time that hackers linked to China's government have caused security headaches in other countries.
The fraud linked to APT41 being in mid-2020 and spanned 2,000 accounts with more than 40,000 financial transactions - and the agency has been able to recover about half of the stolen funds, according to NBC News. Officials could not confirm whether the hackers still had access to state government networks after being discovered.
Hackers linked to China's government stole at least $20 million in U.S. Covid relief benefits, including small business loans and unemployment funds, across over a dozen states
Although it's unclear whether the Chinese government specifically directed the hacks or just allowed them to take place, American security officials the theft is a serious development with national security implications.
'It would be crazy to think this group didn’t target all 50 states,' Roy Dotson, national pandemic fraud recovery coordinator for the Secret Service, who also acts as a liaison to other federal agencies probing Covid fraud, told NBC News.
One high-level Justice Department official told NBC News it was 'dangerous' and the Secret Service said there are more than 1,000 ongoing investigations that involve criminals defrauding public benefits programs.
'Once you are in these systems with intent to promulgate theft' of personally
