Transnational crime groups get exploited to spread fake news

New research uncovered proof of Chinese threat actors’ modus of using fake social media accounts connected to transnational crime groups to disseminate disinformation and online propaganda in Australia.

The fake accounts utilised by the Chinese actors are from Twitter that promotes the Warner International Casino. The gaming platform is an online gambling entity that operates in the Southeast Asian region.

Researchers believe that the Warner International Casino is a branch of the Warner Company located in one of the cities in Myanmar. Some researchers also expect that the casino is on the border of the two countries. The Chinese authorities have also established their investigation into the online platform.

However, a separate investigation noticed that the business could also be providing cover for government operations. An independent think tank explained that the threat actors seem to be getting illegitimate accounts from criminal networks such as Warner International to restock its covert influence on the internet, especially on social media.

An example of this influence is that the government could disseminate information or get sources internationally.

 

Aside from transnational crime groups, the campaign has also utilised AI-generated profiles.

 

The recent influence campaign of the Chinese threat actors has also utilised fake accounts from AI-generated profile images, aside from transnational criminal groups, to promote Warner International in Australia.

Additionally, the profiles have identical profile images, implying that they most likely came from the same pool of sources the Chinese threat actors collected from other campaigns.

The researchers spotted a multi-language network of phoney Chinese accounts that targets Australia’s domestic and foreign policies.

Most of the social media accounts in this campaign gain little traction, like numerous China-linked information operations. Unfortunately, some unknowing Australian users accidentally promote these entities through replies, retweets, and likes.

These Chinese influence campaigns also have an ongoing campaign that targets the United States. These operations from China employ strategies, such as newswire services, billboard ads, and staged protests, to promote pro-China propaganda within the United States. Researchers highlighted that Chinese actors are continuously trying new TTPs to extend their influence and get the attention of other countries.