(NewsNation) — Chinese spying incidents are increasing.
The FBI says it opens a new investigation into Chinese spying every 12 hours; some of the incidents reportedly involve the Chinese hiring American private investigators to track down and threaten their targets. And they’re doing it all while hiding behind a screen. Essentially, this means Americans might be spying for China without knowing it.
According to New York Times, it’s happened in several states, from New York to California. When the feds find out, it’s not just the Chinese who get charged.
A former NYPD officer-turned-private investigator faces charges for helping coerce a New Jersey man to return to China. And two Homeland Security agents turned private investigators were indicted for stalking and harassing a Chinese dissident who was running for Congress in New York.
Still, after his first face-to-face meeting with the Chinese leader, President Joe Biden insisted Monday that there’s no Cold War.
Expert threat intelligence analyst Charity Wright believes the United States has the resources to combat these threats.
“Espionage has been a problem coming from China, targeting the US for a very long time. Now, we have private sector threat intelligence companies partnering up with the public sector and the investigators to really get down into the tactics, techniques and procedures they’re using. So I feel like we are very prepared,” Wright said during a Monday appearance on NewsNation’s “Banfield.” I think authorities are doing a great job at using that intelligence to find those spies.”
Wright added that it’s important to “be aware of what you’re discussing online.” Consider if you are likely to be targeted by the Chinese government.
“Not everyone is targeted. They’re looking at specific individuals with access to sensitive information. So depending on your access to that kind of information at work, you might want to take further precautions.”