Amazon Blocks 1,800 Job Applications Linked to North Korea. A top Amazon executive says the company has blocked more than 1,800 job applications linked to suspected North Korean agents. Amazon's chief security officer said the applicants used stolen or fake identities to apply for remote IT roles. Their goal, he warned, is simple: get hired, get paid, and funnel wages back to fund North Korea's weapons programmes. According to Amazon's chief security officer, Amazon has seen nearly a one-third increase in such applications over the past year. Many of the operatives rely on so-called "laptop farms" — computers physically based in the US but controlled remotely from abroad. Amazon uses a mix of AI tools and human verification to screen applicants, as scammers become increasingly sophisticated. Some hijack dormant LinkedIn accounts or impersonate real software engineers to appear legitimate. US authorities say the problem is widespread. The Justice Department recently uncovered dozens of illegal laptop farms and has jailed US citizens who helped North Korean operatives secure jobs, generating millions of dollars for Pyongyang.f