Chinese spies are using LinkedIn and other professional networking sites to recruit military and government personnel in the West. 

The intelligence operatives pose as job recruiters from private consultancies, think tanks and human-resource firms seeking candidates for foreign-policy or defense-analyst positions, according to the Five Eyes intelligence-share network, a multilateral intelligence alliance that includes the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. 

The candidates who respond to job advertisements, the Wall Street Journal reported — which includes jobseekers with security clearances and military personnel with knowledge of the Indo-Pacific region — are interviewed and asked to write a "trial report." The recruiters ask for more sensitive information in subsequent reports and pay the candidates several thousand dollars each for the work. 

The revelations were publicized in threat bulletins issued by agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as U.S. federal indictments. 

To provide cover for their activities, the Chinese spies use legitimate-looking companies that appear to be outside China. These activities go back decades. 

LinkedIn said in a statement that using false identities violates the platform's terms of service. “We remain focused on detecting state-sponsored abuse, and will continue to enforce our policies against fake accounts,” the company said.