MI5 Alert: Chinese Intelligence Agencies Target UK Lawmakers Through Fake LinkedIn Recruitment Schemes

The UK's domestic security service has issued a warning to lawmakers regarding new Chinese-backed operations targeting them online, rekindling worries about Beijing's espionage activities around Parliament.

On Tuesday, MI5 released an alert identifying two online accounts purportedly representing headhunting organizations that were actually operated by Chinese intelligence agencies. These accounts claimed to represent companies called BP-YR Executive Search and Internship Union.

According to the security service, intelligence operatives used these cover identities to approach British politicians and officials on professional networking platforms like LinkedIn, frequently offering freelance consultant positions.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis outlined the government's response in the House of Commons on Tuesday. The response includes allocating hundreds of millions of pounds for security programs, implementing new security briefings for political parties and election candidates, strengthening regulations on political donations, and collaborating with professional networking platforms to create a more hostile environment for espionage activities.

The Chinese Embassy in London rejected the British allegations as "pure fabrication and malicious slander." In a statement, the embassy mentioned it had "lodged stern representations" with the UK for "undermining China-UK relations."

Such alerts from MI5 to lawmakers, while uncommon, have precedent. In 2022, the security service warned MPs about interference from Beijing, accusing a parliamentary aide of having connections to the Chinese Communist Party.

British officials reported that these approaches typically seek non-public information about the UK, offering job interviews and commissioning targets to write reports, often utilizing cover companies to conceal connections to China's intelligence services, according to the alert. MI5 advised MPs and staff to be cautious about accepting expenses-paid travel to China and offers of cryptocurrency payments for supposed consultancy services.

"The Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) seeks to collect sensitive information on the UK to gain strategic advantage," stated the MI5 alert. "Following recent examples of attempts to target UK Parliament for intelligence gathering, this espionage alert seeks to highlight typical MSS tradecraft and methodology from a specific group of highly active officers."