The Daily Fuckup

Federal authorities said Wednesday, June 10, 2026, that they seized 13 internet domains used to target current and former U.S. security-clearance holders with access to classified and sensitive government information. The sites were built to look like consulting companies and were used in an effort to draw in people whose jobs or prior service gave them access the operators wanted.

According to the affidavit cited by the Justice Department, the scheme started in November 2023 and relied on generic consulting and job postings to reach Americans with government or military backgrounds. The postings linked to fake company websites and offered roles such as “Senior Analyst” and “International Affairs Consultant.”

Officials said the people behind the effort used aliases, fictitious personas, stolen identities, AI-generated photos, encrypted messaging apps, and online payment accounts to hide who they were and where the money was coming from. The affidavit also says the conspirators offered money for reports and pressured applicants to provide confidential or “insider” information.

The Justice Department and FBI said the domains were backed by suspected Chinese agents and that the fake consulting sites were consistent with Chinese intelligence services using online recruiting and payment platforms to reach U.S. targets. The affidavit says the conspirators denied any foreign-government involvement.

The FBI said it placed takeover pages on the seized sites to warn visitors and render the domains inoperable. The listed domains included Centrik Global Consulting, Rightinfo Consulting, Finnacle-Vesper Consulting, CYDF Consulting, Pulse Wave Global, Catalyst Global Solutions, Horizzen, GeoIndopacific, Global Peace Foundation – Indonesia, SafeSec Group, The TruthInfo, Vandercons.com, and Gulf Peace Foundation.

Officials urged anyone approached online with vague consulting work, easy money, or requests for sensitive information to treat the contact as suspicious and report it to the FBI.