The digital ghosts are the hardest to catch. They leave no footprints in the rain, no scent on the wind, just trails of corrupted code and emptied bank accounts. The FBI is hunting one such specter: Tan Dailin, a 39-year-old Chinese national believed to be a key operative in the notorious APT 41 hacking group – also known as BARIUM. This isn’t petty theft; this is a calculated, state-sponsored campaign of digital sabotage and fraud that’s bled companies and institutions dry. The indictment out of D.C. reads like a laundry list of cybercrime: unauthorized access, computer damage, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and the laundering of ill-gotten gains.
Dailin, born in Chengdu, China, is a phantom. No known aliases, no reliable physical description beyond the basics – brown eyes, black hair, a man of Asian descent, last known to be 39 years old. The details are frustratingly sparse, a tactic likely employed to shield him from the long arm of the law. What *is* clear is the scope of the damage. APT 41 isn’t just breaking into systems, they’re weaponizing information, stealing intellectual property, and holding it for ransom, or worse, handing it off to those with even darker agendas. They’ve targeted video game companies, software developers, and a host of other industries, leaving a trail of financial ruin in their wake.
The FBI believes Dailin worked in concert with Zhang Haoran, another Chinese national, to orchestrate these attacks. They weren’t just writing code in a basement; this was a sophisticated operation, a conspiracy to systematically exploit vulnerabilities in protected computer systems. The charges include intentionally causing damage – think data deletion, system crashes, the digital equivalent of arson – alongside the more insidious crime of wire fraud, siphoning money through complex networks to obscure its origin. And the aggravated identity theft charge? That suggests they weren’t just after data, but the lives and finances of real people.
The hunt is on, but it’s a difficult one. Dailin is likely back in China, shielded by a government that has repeatedly refused to cooperate with US investigations into cybercrime. But the FBI isn’t giving up. They’re offering a substantial reward for information leading to his arrest, a clear signal that they consider Dailin a high-priority target. This isn’t a game. This is about protecting our digital infrastructure, our economy, and our national security.
If you have any information, no matter how small, regarding the whereabouts of Tan Dailin, contact the FBI immediately. Don’t wait. A digital ghost can do a lot of damage, and the longer he remains free, the more victims will fall. You can submit tips to the FBI’s website or your local field office. Help bring this criminal to justice.
🔠Key Facts
| Full Name | Tan Dailin |
| Charges | Conspiracy to Cause Damage to, and Obtain Information by Unauthorized Access to, Protected Computers; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Wire Fraud; Obtaining Information by Unauthorized Access to Protected Computers; Intentionally Causing Damage to Protected Computers; Aggravated Identity Theft; Money Laundering; Aiding and Abetting |
| Aliases | None known |
| Date of Birth | October 29, 1984 |
| Race / Sex | asian / Male |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Height | Unknown |
| Weight | Unknown |
| Eyes / Hair | brown / black |
| Scars & Marks | None reported |
| Location | Washington D.C. |
📋 Source: FBI Most Wanted — Tan Dailin
If you have information about this fugitive, contact your local FBI field office or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
Related Federal Cases
- Zhang Haoran, Conspiracy to Cause, Washington D.C. 2026 · Washington
- Yin Kecheng, Conspiracy to Cause, Washington D.C. 2026 · Washington
- Zhou Shuai, Conspiracy to Cause, Washington D.C. 2026 · Washington
- Apt 41 Group, ZHANG Haoran, TAN, Washington D.C. 2026 · Florida
- Mikhail Ivanovich Bystrov, Conspiracy to Defraud, Washington D.C. 2026 · Washington
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