The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) has published a list of fake online profiles Iran set up to lure Israelis into conducting espionage.
In a statement made previously, the agency said, “The use of the method of contacting Israeli citizens through social media networks, under the false pretense of the identity of the person making the request, is a well-known method of operation of the Iranian intelligence agencies.”
The profiles revealed this time by the Shin Bet include Telegram users, channels and bot accounts with the following usernames: Itamar201020, Gal01110, Mariiyam1997, PAnderson198, hadas99, Ramon_nkl96, צבא העם (people’s army), VIP EMPLOYMENT, עבודה באזור י-ם והסביבה (work in Jerusalem and the area) and דרושים עובדים – חיפה (employees wanted – Haifa).
The Shin Bet is monitoring these accounts and their activities, as well as other accounts and channels where Iranian intelligence has posted messages offering job opportunities. The agency has asked the Israeli public to be “vigilant, report suspicious messages from unknown sources to security agencies, avoid sharing personal details, and refrain from clicking on links from unidentified sources.”
In mid-July, a Vizhnitz Chassid and resident of Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem, by the name of Elimelech Stern was charged with illegal contact with a foreign agent, after he was contacted by one of these fake accounts set up by Iranian intelligence, and allegedly carried out various tasks at its request.
According to charges filed at the Jerusalem District Court, Stern first came into contact with the agent, who identified himself by the name “Anna Elena,” through the Telegram encrypted messaging app.
The Shin Bet also said previously that many online profiles linked to Iran have been discovered in recent months and that authorities continue to collect intelligence information on the “elements behind their operation.”
