FBI says ‘ongoing’ deepfake impersonation of U.S. gov officials dates back to 2023
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The update also includes new details around the specific tactics and talking points impersonators use to ensnare victims.
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The FBI said that unknown actors have continued to deploy AI voice cloning tools in an ongoing effort to impersonate U.S government officials and extract sensitive or classified information or conduct scams.
The bureau initially warned back in May that the campaign had been ongoing since at least April 2025. In an update Friday, they revised that initial timeline and said there was evidence of such activity dating back to 2023.
“Activity dating back to 2023 reveals malicious actors have impersonated senior U.S. state government, White House, and Cabinet level officials, as well as members of Congress to target individuals, including officials’ family members and personal acquaintances,” the FBI said in a public service announcement.
These communications include the use of encrypted apps like Signal and AI-powered voice cloning tools to trick victims into believing they’re speaking with high-level government officials, who have regularly used Signal to discuss government business under the Trump administration.
The FBI’s updated timeline would mean that such impersonation efforts may have stretched back to the Biden administration, though the bureau does not specify how many individuals, groups or actors may have been involved over the years.
The update also includes new details around the specific tactics and talking points the impersonators use to ensnare victims.
After starting off by engaging the victim through SMS texting, introducing themselves and suggesting that due to the sensitive nature of the discussions, they move to encrypted messaging apps like Signal or WhatsApp, as well as messaging apps like Telegram.
Once there, the fake government official will engage the victim on a topic they are known to be well-versed in, then propose scheduling a meeting between them and President Trump or another high-ranking government official, or float the possibility of nomination to a company’s board of directors.
That sets up the victim for requests for more sensitive personal data under the guise of vetting, like passport photos, requests to sync their device with the victim’s phone contact list, requests for the victim to broker introductions between associates or wiring funds overseas.
The bureau notes in footnote that access to the targeted individual’s contact list is used “to enable further impersonation efforts or targeting.”
“Once actors have access to the victim’s contact list, they send out another round of smishing or vishing messages, this time impersonating the last victim or another notable figure the new targeted individual would logically come in contact with,” the announcement stated.
In July, the State Department sent a cable to diplomats warning that someone was using AI audio tools and text messages to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Under the Biden administration in 2024, a deepfake video of former State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller popped up online appearing to suggest that Russian cities were legitimate targets for Ukraine’s military.
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