Russian honeypot reveals how Putin’s sex spies – Business News
A former Russian “sexpionage” trainee is warning Silicon Valley that overseas operatives are utilizing romance scams and manufactured intimacy to pry unfastened commerce secrets and techniques — and she or he’s laying out crimson flags she says engineers and tech executives ought to spot earlier than they get burned.
Aliia Roza, a former Russian “sex spy” who defected from her native nation after she fell in love with an intelligence goal, advised The Post in an unique interview that she was educated by authorities to seduce and manipulate her targets — and that she began learning the ways as a teenager.
She says sex spies comply with a sinister playbook designed to interrupt down defenses earlier than targets even understand they’re being hunted.
Aliia Roza, a former Russian “sex spy” who claims she was educated to seduce and manipulate targets, mentioned she studied persuasion ways as a teenager. Courtesy of Aliia Roza
“They see the target, they need to get information,” Roza advised The Post. “They need to manipulate the target, emotions, feelings, or whatever they can do, they will do it.”
Roza was responding to a current report by the Times of London that mentioned China and Russia have been engaged in a sinister plot to deploy engaging feminine brokers to ensnare tech executives. Russia and China have an “asymmetric advantage” for the reason that US doesn’t use the identical ways, the report mentioned.
Roza agreed, saying that in contrast to overseas governments, the US strives “to protect human rights”. The Russians and Chinese, she claimed, “manipulate their targets in a really bad way” and see their own brokers as disposable.
She mentioned the manipulation follows a predetermined script — and in response to Roza, a seasoned agent by no means approaches cold.
Roza is seen above in navy uniform. She is warning Silicon Valley that overseas operatives are utilizing romance scams and manufactured intimacy to pry unfastened commerce secrets and techniques. Courtesy of Aliia Roza
“You first appear in their life — seven times, to be exact — before making contact,” she mentioned. “You might show up at their coffee shop, their gym, or just keep liking their posts. When you finally meet, their brain already trusts you.”
Once that familiarity is constructed, the agent reels the goal in.
“It starts with love bombing — messages full of compliments, selfies, bikini photos,” Roza defined. “They pretend to be weak or alone: ‘My parents were killed, I’m a student, I’m broke.’ It triggers the hero instinct. Every man wants to feel like the rescuer.”
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Then comes what is named the “milk technique,” she mentioned, the place operatives faux mutual connections to seem authentic.
“The fake account follows your friends or says, ‘Bill is my brother’s friend,’ so you think, ‘OK, I can trust her.’ But it’s all fabricated.”
She says these operatives comply with a sinister playbook designed to interrupt down defenses earlier than targets even understand they’re being hunted. Courtesy of Aliia Roza
With trust established, the psychological manipulation escalates.
“The agent makes you doubt yourself,” Roza mentioned. “She’ll say, ‘Your boss doesn’t appreciate you; your colleagues use you.’ It creates a bond where you feel you understand each other — and the rest of the world is bad.”
Finally, the agent begins to make threats if the specified data isn’t divulged.
“They’ll create stress — fear of losing the relationship,” Roza warned. “‘If you don’t send this information right now, I’ll disappear forever.’ Under that emotional rush, people give up things they never would otherwise.”
Roza mentioned tech staff are significantly susceptible as a result of many are remoted and overworked.
“They may be very smart and geniuses in what they do, but regarding dating relationships … they spend a lot of time in the offices,” she mentioned. “There’s a gap in between female interaction. And then it’s much easier for a female to target you.”
Roza mentioned she was educated as a teenage “seduction agent” by a covert Russian intelligence program. Courtesy of Aliia Roza
She added that operatives sometimes want single staff.
“They would target someone who is single … they don’t have this relationship, so of course, they become, like, very weak targets,” she mentioned.
Roza urged Silicon Valley professionals to scrutinize sudden romantic consideration — particularly when blended with probing questions, name-dropping and alcohol.
Roza mentioned she moved to the US in 2020. Since relocating to the states, she has obtained her inexperienced card.
Roza mentioned that “lovebombing” is a fashionable approach used to trick Silicon Valley executives. Courtesy of Aliia Roza
On her lawyer’s advice, she mentioned she determined to be open about her previous as a Russian intelligence agent in an effort to enhance her probabilities of gaining legal standing.
According to Roza, her intelligence missions have been primarily in Europe and the United Kingdom, the place she was despatched to seduce human traffickers, drug sellers and oligarchs who ran afoul of the Russian authorities. She mentioned the overall quantity of missions she was despatched on was fewer than 10.
“I would get into serious relationships with my targets, which at that time were, like, criminals,” Roza mentioned.
Confirming the report within the Times of London, Roza mentioned these relationships included “living together 24-7” — and even marriage.
“And then [I would] just report [them] to my commanders and bring [them], eventually, to justice.”
One common tactic utilized by Russian honeypots is to make use of faux social media accounts with bikini images, fake to be lonely college students or victims of struggle, in response to Roza. Courtesy of Aliia Roza
She mentioned she by no means did any espionage towards Americans or on US soil.
She mentioned she is now targeted on public training about manipulation ways throughout work, relationship and social media.
“I’m on a mission to educate people how to prevent manipulation,” Roza mentioned.
She is engaged on a e book and not too long ago signed a deal with a studio to provide a documentary about her experiences.
Roza urged Silicon Valley professionals to scrutinize sudden romantic consideration — particularly when blended with probing questions, name-dropping and alcohol. Courtesy of Aliia Roza
Roza additionally does public talking and has emerged as a self-improvement coach who helps people gain confidence through the use of some of the techniques that she perfected whereas being educated for espionage.
“I teach people to be positive and purposeful to your goals and aims, and not to be bothered or distracted by any other negative or toxic people or negative events in your life,” she mentioned.
“So it’s a very precise, strategical thinking.”
Roza additionally does public talking and has emerged as a self-improvement coach. Courtesy of Aliia Roza
She not too long ago appeared alongside bestselling writer Neil Strauss for a podcast known as “To Die For,” a true crime sequence that explores the darkish world of Russian “sexpionage.”
“Education is prevention of the problem,” she mentioned.
Roza advised The Post that for tech staff, the best protection is methodical skepticism: sluggish the interplay, confirm identities offline and refuse any request tethered to secrecy or urgency.
