DOJ and FBI Seize 13 Websites Targeting Clearance Holders
The Justice Department and FBI seized 13 internet domains on June 10, 2026, alleging that the websites were backed by suspected Chinese agents and used deceptive consulting opportunities to target current and former U.S. security-clearance holders.
Federal authorities said the sites were used to solicit sensitive U.S. information from people who held or previously held security clearances. The alleged approach presented the contacts as consulting or employment opportunities, according to the Justice Department.
The FBI replaced all 13 seized domains with takeover warning pages. Those pages served as the immediate public response to the websites and alerted visitors that the federal government had intervened.
What authorities allege
The Justice Department said the websites offered fake consulting opportunities designed to induce people to disclose classified or otherwise sensitive information. The alleged targets included both current clearance holders and people who no longer held clearances.
Federal authorities described the domains as backed by suspected Chinese agents. That wording identifies the alleged connection described by the department, but it does not establish that Chinese government officials directly operated the websites.
The department also linked the activity to money laundering. The public announcement did not identify individual defendants in connection with the domains, and the seizure was announced as a government action against the websites rather than as a reported conviction or final court finding.
The alleged targeting extended to U.S. persons nationwide. The action therefore involved a national audience even though the investigation specifically included the FBI field offices in Washington and Norfolk.
Federal response
The investigation involved the Justice Department’s National Security Division, the FBI Washington Field Office and the FBI Norfolk Field Office. Together, the agencies took control of the 13 internet domains and placed warning pages on them.
The seizure interrupted the websites’ public operation and made the alleged recruiting approach visible to people who might otherwise have encountered the consulting offers. The FBI’s warning pages also distinguished the federal action from a routine website closure: visitors were shown that the domains had been taken over by authorities.
The Justice Department said the sites sought information from people with current or past access to classified or sensitive U.S. government information. That focus is central to the national-security concern described by the department: foreign intelligence services may seek to recruit people who possess specialized knowledge or access through apparently legitimate professional opportunities.
The operation illustrates a counterintelligence effort aimed at preventing the recruitment of people connected to classified or sensitive government work. It also shows how federal authorities can respond publicly to suspected online solicitation by disabling the domains and using the seized websites to warn potential visitors.
The action does not, by itself, establish that a particular person disclosed classified information through the sites. The Justice Department announcement did not report arrests or criminal charges, and it did not say whether anyone provided classified or sensitive information in response to the alleged offers.
For current and former security-clearance holders, the federal action identifies deceptive consulting opportunities as the alleged vehicle used by the 13 domains. The warning pages remain the concrete public measure described in the announcement, while the investigation continues through the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the FBI offices in Washington and Norfolk.
Sources
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