AI scam: How fake Rubio tried to reach world leaders; US calls it 'sophisticated manipulation'

An impostor used artificial intelligence to generate the voice of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and attempted to contact senior American and foreign officials in what appears to be a sophisticated manipulation campaign, according to multiple official sources and a diplomatic cable cited by multiple reports.

The individual behind the deception approached at least three foreign ministers, a US governor, and a member of Congress via the Signal messaging app in mid-June, according to a July 3 cable circulated by the State Department. “The actor likely aimed to manipulate targeted individuals using AI-generated text and voice messages, with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts,” the cable said, as cited by Reuters.

Although the messages included voicemails and a Signal text appearing to come from “[marco.rubio@state.gov](mailto:marco.rubio@state.gov),” the campaign is believed to have failed. Nonetheless, officials deemed it prudent to notify all diplomatic missions and external partners of the risk.

State Department issues global warning

The State Department has acknowledged the incident and is investigating. A spokesperson said: “The department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to improve the department’s cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents.” However, due to “security reasons” and the ongoing probe, officials declined to offer further details.

According to the Associated Press, one US official said the messages were “not very sophisticated,” but another added it was “prudent” to raise awareness, given the growing trend of digital impersonation using AI. The internal cable noted there was “no direct cyber threat to the department,” but warned that information shared with compromised individuals could be exposed.

CNN reported that the fake Rubio account specifically used the Signal app and mimicked State Department branding, even adopting internal email formats. Officials were urged to report future impersonation attempts to diplomatic security, while external victims were asked to contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Russia-linked phishing campaign also identified

In a separate but related incident in April, a cyber actor linked to Russian intelligence impersonated State Department officials in a spear phishing campaign. As Reuters reported, the attacker targeted personal Gmail accounts of think tank scholars, Eastern European activists, journalists, and former US officials. The campaign used falsified "@state.gov" addresses and official-looking documents to lure victims into linking third-party apps to their accounts.

“The actor demonstrated extensive knowledge of the department’s naming conventions and internal documentation,” the cable warned. Industry partners attributed the April campaign to a group tied to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service.

This is the second known AI-driven impersonation involving a senior Trump administration official. In May, The Wall Street Journal revealed a campaign that impersonated President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles. Some recipients reportedly heard AI-generated calls in a voice resembling Wiles, although the calls did not originate from her number.