The scheme involved thousands of workers who were dispatched by the North Korean government to find work as remote IT employees at American companies.

“These schemes target and steal from U.S. companies and are designed to evade sanctions and fund the North Korean regime’s illicit programs, including its weapons programs,” Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg, the head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, said in a statement.

Nine people have been indicted in Boston in connection with an alleged scheme to generate revenue for government of North Korea and its weapons of mass destruction programs.

The four allegedly stole $900,000 in cryptocurrency from one company, according to prosecutors, and the scheme has been ongoing since at least 2020.

Imagine applying for a job, acing the interview, and landing a role at a major company—only to find out the person hired wasn’t who they claimed to be. This isn’t a movie plot; it’s a real scheme that has shaken some of America’s biggest businesses.