Chinese Civil Servant Sentenced to Life in Prison for Selling State Secrets Due to Debt from Cryptocurrency Investments

Chinese civil servant Wang Mou Mou has been sentenced to life in prison for selling state secrets to foreign intelligence because of debts from failed cryptocurrency investments. He was recruited after he spoke about his financial difficulties on a forum where he was looking for extra income.

According to a report by China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), the official, who works under the alias Wang Mou Mou, was heavily in debt from failed cryptocurrency investments and was trying to find part-time work by posing as a government employee on an online forum. Eventually, he was contacted by a foreigner who offered him a large reward for information about his workflow and research progress. At first, Wang provided a small amount of internal data for a reward, but over time, his desire grew and he began to transfer secret, confidential materials to his foreign clients, receiving more than 1 million yuan through cryptocurrency transfers. The organization he worked for did not have proper security measures in place, which made his espionage activities easier.

The Ministry of State Security, often referred to as China’s “secret police,” is the country’s largest intelligence agency, with numerous branches throughout the country. The agency is known for conducting not only homeland security, but also cyber operations against political opponents, intellectual property theft and espionage for strategic purposes.

The Wang Mao case highlights how vulnerable the national security system can be if insufficient attention is paid to control and preventive measures; The MGB has called on citizens to report any suspicions of espionage and has several communication channels for this purpose.