The Seductive World of International Espionage: How China and Russia Deploy “Sex Spies” Against America

In the shadowy realm of international intelligence, some of the oldest tactics remain the most effective. According to J. Michael Waller, a former CIA operative, China and Russia are actively deploying “sex spies” to American soil with clear objectives: stealing technology, compromising politicians, and acquiring state secrets. This form of psychological warfare relies on one of humanity’s most fundamental vulnerabilities—the desire for connection and intimacy. Waller shared his firsthand experience with Fox News Digital, describing an encounter in Poland where a young Chinese woman, approximately 25 years old, approached him showing unusual interest in his work. The conversation quickly revealed red flags: she possessed detailed knowledge about his background that wasn’t included in his official biography for the event. Recognizing the situation for what it was—a recruitment attempt—Waller reported the woman to Polish authorities, who promptly expelled her from the country. “They take advantage of the fact that people are lonely or just want to have a good time or, you know, need company or whatever else,” Waller explained. “They do what’s been done since biblical times. They use sex as a weapon.”

The threat has become so pronounced that earlier this year, the U.S. government implemented a striking policy: American employees and personnel working in China are now explicitly banned from engaging in romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens. This measure, put in place by former U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns before leaving his post at the transition to the Trump administration, comes with severe consequences—government personnel who violate the policy will be forced to leave China. The extraordinary step underscores the seriousness with which American intelligence and diplomatic communities view the threat of honeypot operations. These restrictions acknowledge an uncomfortable reality: in the modern battlefield of espionage, personal relationships can become vectors for national security breaches, and even the most intimate human connections can be weaponized for intelligence gathering.

The psychological dimension of these operations should not be underestimated, according to Waller. “You’re messing with people’s heads,” he noted, explaining that Chinese intelligence operatives are particularly patient and strategic in their approach. Unlike the stereotype of a one-night seduction to steal documents, these operations often unfold over months or years, targeting specific individuals with access to valuable information or influence: engineers developing cutting-edge technologies, programmers with access to sensitive code, local officials who might eventually rise to positions of greater power, or politicians already in influential positions. “They’ll go for a very long term with these sexual recruitments and develop long-term emotional relations, at least get the other side, get the target emotionally attached, to the point of even marrying them and having families with them,” Waller revealed. “That’s what they’re schooled to do.” The psychological manipulation is comprehensive—creating genuine-seeming emotional bonds that can be leveraged for intelligence gathering over extended periods.

The Silicon Valley technology hub has become a particular focus for these operations, according to Aliia Roza, who identified herself to the New York Post as a former Russian “sex spy.” The concentration of cutting-edge research, venture capital, and technological innovation makes the region an irresistible target for foreign intelligence services seeking to gain competitive advantages. Roza described the typical approach: “It starts with love bombing—messages full of compliments, selfies, bikini photos. 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.” This psychological manipulation plays on fundamental human desires—to be desired, to be needed, to rescue someone vulnerable—creating emotional dependencies that can later be exploited for intelligence gathering. The tactic is particularly effective because it operates beneath conscious awareness; targets often don’t realize they’re being manipulated until significant damage has already been done.

These operations represent a fusion of traditional human intelligence gathering with psychological warfare. By creating emotional entanglements, foreign intelligence services can extract information gradually, often without the target realizing they’re revealing sensitive information. The emotional manipulation can lead to compromising situations that leave the target vulnerable to blackmail. Once compromised, individuals may continue providing information to protect their reputations, careers, or relationships. The psychological damage can be severe—targets often experience profound betrayal upon discovering that relationships they believed to be genuine were fabricated for intelligence purposes. This leaves them grappling not only with the security breach but also with deep personal wounds. The intelligence community recognizes these operations as particularly insidious because they weaponize fundamental human needs for connection and intimacy.

Waller offers one piece of blunt advice for Americans who might find themselves targeted: “If someone from China who’s super, super hot is really interested in you and you’re nowhere near in that league—she’s a spy.” While the advice might sound simplistic or even humorous, it encapsulates a serious warning about situational awareness in an era of sophisticated intelligence operations. The pattern of attractive foreign nationals showing unusual interest in individuals with access to sensitive information or positions of influence should raise immediate red flags. As technological competition between global powers intensifies, these human intelligence operations represent a parallel battlefield—one where emotions rather than encryption become the vulnerability to be exploited. For individuals in sensitive positions, maintaining vigilance about unusual romantic interest from foreign nationals has become not just a matter of personal judgment but of national security. In the ancient game of espionage, the honeypot remains a devastatingly effective tactic precisely because it targets what makes us human.