A fraudster impersonating U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has contacted foreign ministers, a U.S. governor, and a member of Congress, utilizing voice and messages generated by artificial intelligence (AI). This incident was revealed through an internal State Department cable published by The Washington Post.
Sophisticated Deception Targeting Sensitive Information
U.S. authorities have not yet identified the perpetrator, but they believe the aim is to deceive officials into providing access to sensitive information or personal accounts. The fraudulent messages were sent via the encrypted messaging app Signal and SMS, using a deceptive username: “[email protected].”
According to the document, the scam began in mid-June and has involved at least five significant individuals: three foreign ministers from partner countries, a U.S. governor, and a legislator in Congress. In some instances, the imposter left voice messages using Rubio’s AI-generated voice, a method increasingly employed in cyber fraud campaigns.
Warnings and Recommendations
State Department officials have urged diplomats and institutions to report any similar attempts to the Bureau of Diplomatic Security or the FBI. This incident follows similar attacks involving fake voices targeting other prominent U.S. figures, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, just a few months prior.
Digital security experts warn that voice imitation technologies have become easy to use, and officials must be more cautious about using unauthorized platforms for official communications.
The FBI has previously warned that these campaigns aim to defraud for data, steal money, or distribute viruses within institutional computer systems.
