Singapore-registered firm used fake employees and recruitment methods mirroring foreign intelligence playbook

In Singapore, a firm known as Infoassa was employing deceptive tactics in recruitment, mirroring the strategies used by foreign intelligence agencies. Maria, a former U.S. government employee, applied for a policy analyst role at Infoassa, believing it to be a reputable think-tank based in Singapore. However, she soon became suspicious after discovering inconsistencies in their recruitment process.

Infoassa advertised several events at its premises, but CNA discovered that the most recent event on August 7 never took place. The company's representatives used personal Gmail accounts instead of official organizational ones, and the reward offered for passing a writing test based on a planned summit between U.S. and Chinese leaders was a seemingly impossible scenario.

The company's online presence was inconsistent, with event descriptions on their Facebook page being copied verbatim from articles by other organizations. Additionally, CNA identified four online personas claiming to be affiliated with Infoassa, but none had any independent online presence or LinkedIn profiles that verified their claims.

Dr. Bill Hayton, an associate fellow at Chatham House, had previously raised concerns about a similar think-tank called the Institute of East Asia Strategic Studies (IEASS), which also used fabricated personas to recruit individuals with backgrounds in government and international affairs research.

Despite the evidence of suspicious elements, no definitive proof of a direct connection between Infoassa and IEASS or with the website TheTruthInfo, which was seized by U.S. authorities in June. The ultimate operator behind Infoassa remains unknown. CNA reached out to Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Digital Development and Information for comment, but no official response has been provided.