Rubio impersonated with AI: Fraudster allegedly impersonated US Secretary of State

Does a US Secretary of State contact his counterparts via a messaging service? After "Signalgate," that certainly doesn't seem unthinkable. A fraudster tried to take advantage of this.

A scammer posing as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent voice and text messages generated using artificial intelligence (AI) to several foreign ministers in his name. The US State Department confirmed the incident without providing further details. The Washington Post, citing a letter from the US State Department, previously reported that the scammer had contacted at least three secretaries of state, a governor, and a US congressman via text message and the messaging service Signal.

"The State Department is, of course, aware of this incident and is investigating it," said department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. The extent of the damage and whether sensitive information was exchanged remains unclear.

Starting in mid-June, the scammer created a Signal account under the name "[email protected]" to contact officials, the department stated in its letter. Under this name, he sent at least two voice messages and one text message inviting the recipient to Signal. He allegedly used artificial intelligence to mimic Rubio's voice and writing style. The scammer presumably attempted to gain access to information or accounts. No further details about the content of the messages were provided.