Deceptive job postings on Philippine military forums promised high-paying roles, such as regional security researcher positions. These ads, which used the facade of a known military publisher, are alleged to be part of a spy recruitment pipeline.

The job ads posted on several Philippine military forums on Facebook in 2023 looked enticing. “We are hiring regional security researcher,” said a notice bearing the emblem of Janes – the well-known international aerospace and military technology publisher. It came with an eye-watering offer: “US$1,000-US$5,000.” “Send us your CV,” the ad urged, giving Viber and WhatsApp numbers as well as an email address. The hitch: while the ad was real, the recruiter was not. Researchers who traced the ad’s....