An individual posing as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly used an AI-generated voice to call high-level officials in what appears to be an attempt to manipulate government officials to obtain access to information or accounts.
The unknown Rubio impostor has so far reportedly contacted at least five government officials: three foreign ministers, one U.S. governor, and one member of Congress, according to a State Department cable obtained by the Washington Post.
The individual — whom authorities have not yet been able to identify — reportedly used AI software to send the government officials text messages that mimicked Rubio’s voice and writing style.
Authorities believe the imposter is likely trying to manipulate the high-end officials “with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts,” the July 3 cable sent by Rubio’s office to State Department employees said.
The unknown individual reportedly began their impersonation attempts in mid-June, using both text messaging and the encrypted messaging app Signal under the display name Marco.Rubio@state.gov, which is not the Secretary of State’s real email address.
“The actor left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals and in one instance, sent a text message inviting the individual to communicate on Signal,” the State Department cable said.
It remains unclear if any of the powerful government officials responded to the Rubio imposter.
The cable also revealed that other U.S. State Department employees were impersonated via fake emails addresses.
The State Department told the Post it will “carry out a thorough investigation and continue to implement safeguards to prevent this from happening in the future,” and did not disclose the names of the government officials who were contacted, nor the content of the faux messages that were sent.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security is investigating the matter, while U.S. diplomats are being urged to report “any impersonation attempts” to the agency. Non-State Department officials, meanwhile, have been told to report incidents to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
The AI-generated Rubio imposter incident comes after several recent impersonation attempts targeting high-profile U.S. officials.
In May, an unknown individual impersonating White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles began calling and texting prominent Republican lawmakers and business executives, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
