AI scammer posing as Marco Rubio targets officials in growing threat

Fake voice and text messages on Signal tricked senior leaders, as AI impersonation rises in global politics

An unknown fraudster has used artificial intelligence to impersonate the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, contacting at least five senior officials.

According to a state department cable first seen by the Washington Post and confirmed by the Guardian, the impostor sent fake voice messages and texts that mimicked Rubio's voice and writing style to those targets including three foreign ministers, a US governor and a member of Congress.