FBI Warns of Deepfake Audio Scams Impersonating US Officials

FBI warns of ongoing scam that uses deepfake audio to impersonate government officials

The FBI is warning people to be vigilant of an ongoing malicious messaging campaign that uses AI-generated voice audio to impersonate government officials in an attempt to trick recipients into clicking on links that can infect their computers. "Since April 2025, malicious actors have impersonated senior US officials to target individuals, many of whom are current or former senior US federal or state government officials and their contacts," Thursday's advisory from the bureau's Internet Crime Complaint Center said. "If you receive a message claiming to be from a senior US official, do not assume it is authentic." Think you can't be fooled? Think again. The campaign's creators are sending AI-generated voice messages -- better known as deepfakes -- along with text messages "in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts," FBI officials said. Deepfakes use AI to mimic the voice and speaking characteristics of a specific individual. The differences between the authentic and simulated speakers are often indistinguishable without trained analysis. Deepfake videos work similarly. One way to gain access to targets' devices is for the attacker to ask if the conversation can be continued on a separate messaging platform and then successfully convince the target to click on a malicious link under the guise that it will enable the alternate platform. The advisory provided no additional details about the campaign. The advisory comes amid a rise in reports of deepfaked audio and sometimes video used in fraud and espionage campaigns. Last year, password manager LastPass warned that it had been targeted in a sophisticated phishing campaign that used a combination of email, text messages, and voice calls to trick targets into divulging their master passwords. One part of the campaign included targeting a LastPass employee with a deepfake audio call that impersonated company CEO Karim Toubba. In a separate incident last year, a robocall campaign that encouraged New Hampshire Democrats to sit out the coming election used a deepfake of then-President Joe Biden's voice. A Democratic consultant was later indicted in connection with the calls. The telco that transmitted the spoofed robocalls also agreed to pay a $1 million civil penalty for not authenticating the caller as required by FCC rules. Thursday's advisory provided steps people can take to better detect these sorts of malicious messaging campaigns. They include: Verify the identity of the person calling you or sending text or voice messages. Before responding, research the originating number, organization, and/or person purporting to contact you. Then independently identify a phone number for the person and call to verify their authenticity. Carefully examine the email address; messaging contact information, including phone numbers; URLs; and spelling used in any correspondence or communications. Scammers often use slight differences to deceive you and gain your trust. For instance, actors can incorporate publicly available photographs in text messages, use minor alterations in names and contact information, or use AI-generated voices to masquerade as a known contact. Look for subtle imperfections in images and videos, such as distorted hands or feet, unrealistic facial features, indistinct or irregular faces, unrealistic accessories such as glasses or jewelry, inaccurate shadows, watermarks, voice call lag time, voice matching, and unnatural movements. Listen closely to the tone and word choice to distinguish between a legitimate phone call or voice message from a known contact and AI-generated voice cloning, as they can sound nearly identical. AI-generated content has advanced to the point that it is often difficult to identify. When in doubt about the authenticity of someone wishing to communicate with you, contact your relevant security officials or the FBI for help. The guidance is helpful, but it doesn't take into account some of the challenges targets of such scams face. Often, the senders create a sense of urgency by claiming there is some sort of ongoing emergency that requires an immediate response. It's also not clear how people can reliably confirm that phone numbers, email addresses, or URLs are authentic. The bottom line is that there is no magic bullet to ward off these sorts of scams. Admitting that no one is immune to being fooled is key to defending against them.

That weird call or text from a senator is probably an AI scam

If you recently received a voice message from an unusual number claiming to be your local congressperson, it's probably a scam. The FBI's crime division issued a warning this week about a new scheme in which bad actors use text messages and AI-generated voice clones to impersonate government officials. The scammers try to build a sense of connection with their target and eventually convince them to click on a malicious link that steals valuable login credentials. This scam is just the latest in a series of evolving attacks using convincing generative AI technology to trick people. "If you receive a message claiming to be from a senior US official, do not assume it is authentic," the FBI crime alert reads. Government officials say the scam began around April of this year. Attackers either send text messages or use AI-generated voice clone technology to impersonate government employees. Many of the targets of these attacks, the alert notes, have been officials or close contacts of government officials. AI technology has improved rapidly in recent years, to the point where some systems can generate convincing fakes after analyzing just a few minutes, or even seconds, of a person's voice recordings. Public officials -- many of whom frequently give speeches or statements -- are particularly vulnerable to voice cloning. Though the FBI notice is sparse on details, it says scammers typically use the supposed government official's identity to create a sense of familiarity or urgency with their target. From there, they often ask the target to click a link to continue the conversation on a different messaging platform. In reality, that link is a trap designed to steal sensitive credentials like usernames and passwords. The FBI warns that this type of attack could also be used to target other individuals in government positions. If scammers gain access to a victim's contacts, they could use that information to target additional officials. The stolen contact details could later be used to impersonate others in attempts to steal or transfer funds. "Access to personal or official accounts operated by US officials could be used to target other government officials, or their associates and contacts, by using trusted contact information they obtain," the FBI notes. Related: [That unpaid highway toll text message is a scam] Increasingly convincing AI-generated audio and video are making phishing scams more effective. A 2024 report from cybersecurity company Zscaler found that phishing attempts increased by 58 percent in 2023, a surge attributed in part to AI deepfakes. While these scams can target anyone, seniors are often disproportionately impacted. In 2023, FBI data showed that scammers stole $3.4 billion from senior citizens through various financial schemes. AI, the agency notes, is worsening the problem by making scams appear more believable, tricking people who might otherwise recognize them as fraud. Some of these attacks can be shockingly targeted. Over the past two years, there have been numerous reports of attackers using voice cloning technology to trick parents into believing their child has been kidnapped. In a state of panic, the victims transfer large sums of money, only to later discover their loved one was never in danger. Voice clones are also being used in the political arena. Last year, voters in New Hampshire received a robocall featuring what sounded like former President Joe Biden, urging them not to vote in the state's primary. The "Biden" voice was actually generated by AI. That audio was reportedly created by political consultant Steve Kramer, who was working with then-Democratic presidential primary challenger Dean Phillips. Kramer was eventually fined $6 million by the FCC and is facing criminal charges for alleged voter suppression. The FBI urges people to exercise extreme caution if they receive a communication claiming to come directly from a government official. If that does happen, individuals should attempt to independently verify the person's identity by calling a known, trusted phone number associated with them. The alert also advises the public to inspect email addresses and URLs for typos or other irregularities that could indicate a phishing attempt. In the case of deepfakes, the notice recommends watching for awkward pauses, unusual intonation, or other oddities that may be telltale signs of an AI-generated voice. That's easier said than done. Today's most sophisticated tools can produce manipulated content in ways that's virtually indistinguishable to the average human observer.

Deepfake voices of senior US officials used in scams: FBI

The FBI has warned that fraudsters are impersonating "senior US officials" using deepfakes as part of a major fraud campaign. According to the agency, the campaign has been running since April and most of the messages target former and current US government officials. The attackers are after login details for official accounts, which they then use to compromise other government systems and try to harvest financial account information. If you receive a message claiming to be from a senior US official, do not assume it is authentic "The malicious actors have sent text messages and AI-generated voice messages -- techniques known as smishing and vishing, respectively -- that claim to come from a senior US official in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts," the warning reads. "If you receive a message claiming to be from a senior US official, do not assume it is authentic." The deepfake voices and SMS messages encourage targets to move to a separate messaging platform. The FBI didn't identify that platform or say which government officials have been deep faked. The agency advises that recipients of these messages should call back using the official number of the relevant department, rather than the one provided. They should also listen out for verbal tics or words that would be unlikely to be used in any conversation, as that could indicate a deepfake in operation. "AI-generated content has advanced to the point that it is often difficult to identify," the FBI advised. "When in doubt about the authenticity of someone wishing to communicate with you, contact your relevant security officials or the FBI for help." The use of deepfakes has increased as the technology to create them improves and costs fall. In this case, the attackers appear to have used AI simply to generate a message using available voice samples, rather than using generative AI to fake real-time interactions. Attackers have used this approach for over five years. The technology needed to run such attacks is so commonplace and cheap that it's an easy attack vector. Deepfake videos have been around for a similar period, although they were initially much harder and more expensive to do convincingly. Real-time text deepfaking is now relatively commonplace and has revolutionized scams to the point at which conversations that with random messages offering you the chance for love or a crypto investment probably see victims talk to a computer. Interactive deepfakes that can impersonate humans in their own voices remain harder and more expensive to create. OpenAI last year claimed its Voice Engine could create a real time deepfake chat bot, but the biz restricted access to it - presumably either because it's not very good or due to the risks it poses. Interactive video deepfakes may soon be technically possible, and a Hong Kong trader claimed they wired $25 million overseas after a deepfake fooled them into making the transfer. However, Chester Wisniewski, global field CISO of British security biz Sophos, told The Register this was most likely an excuse and the technology is probably impossible to wield without the kind of budget only a government or multinational business would possess. "Right now, based on discussions I've had, it would probably take $30 million to do it, so maybe if you're the NSA it's possible," he opined. "But if we're following the same trajectory of audio then it's a few years away before your wacky uncle will be making them as a joke." ®

Malicious actors using AI to pose as senior US officials, FBI says

DETROIT, May 15 (Reuters) - Malicious actors are using text messages and AI-generated voice messages to impersonate senior U.S. officials in a scheme to gain access to the personal accounts of state and federal government officials, the FBI said on Thursday. Access to targets' accounts could be used to go after additional government officials or their associates and contacts, and could also be used to elicit information or funds, the FBI said in a public service announcement. It did not immediately respond to a request for additional details on how many people had received messages as part of the campaign, or whether the activities are the work of financially motivated cybercriminals or state-aligned actors. Many of the targeted officials are current or former senior U.S. federal or state government officials and their contacts, according to the announcement, opens new tab. The messages are used to establish rapport with targets before sending them a link under the guise of moving the conversation to a separate messaging platform, according to the FBI. The separate platform is in some cases a hacker-controlled website that steals login credentials such as usernames and passwords. The FBI warned in a December 2024, opens new tab public service announcement that criminals were using artificial intelligence to generate text, images, audio and video to facilitate crimes such as fraud and extortion. Reporting by AJ Vicens in Detroit; Editing by Joe Bavier Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Cybersecurity A.J. Vicens Thomson Reuters Cybersecurity correspondent covering cybercrime, nation-state threats, hacks, leaks and intelligence

FBI: US officials targeted in voice deepfake attacks since April

The FBI warned that cybercriminals using AI-generated audio deepfakes to target U.S. officials in voice phishing attacks that started in April. This warning is part of a public service announcement issued on Thursday that also provides mitigation measures to help the public spot and block attacks using audio deepfakes (also known as voice deepfakes). "Since April 2025, malicious actors have impersonated senior US officials to target individuals, many of whom are current or former senior US federal or state government officials and their contacts. If you receive a message claiming to be from a senior US official, do not assume it is authentic," the FBI warned. "The malicious actors have sent text messages and AI-generated voice messages -- techniques known as smishing and vishing, respectively -- that claim to come from a senior US official in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts." The attackers can gain access to the accounts of U.S. officials by sending malicious links disguised as links designed to move the discussion to another messaging platform. By compromising their accounts, the threat actors can gain access to other government officials' contact information. Next, they can use social engineering to impersonate the compromised U.S. officials to steal further sensitive information and trick targeted contacts into transferring funds. Today's PSA follows a March 2021 FBI Private Industry Notification (PIN) [PDF] warning that deepfakes (including AI-generated or manipulated audio, text, images, or video) would likely be widely employed in "cyber and foreign influence operations" after becoming increasingly sophisticated. One year later, Europol cautioned that deepfakes could soon become a tool that cybercriminal groups may routinely use in CEO fraud, non-consensual pornography creation, and evidence tampering. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also warned in April 2024 that cybercriminals were targeting IT help desks in social engineering attacks using AI voice cloning to deceive targets. Later that month, LastPass revealed that unknown attackers used deepfake audio to impersonate Karim Toubba, the company's Chief Executive Officer, in a voice phishing attack targeting one of its employees.

FBI alert: AI voice cloning scam targets senior government officials

United States Capitol with digital circuitry overlay, symbolizing FBI action on AI-driven scams. The FBI has issued a warning about a growing cyber campaign that uses AI-generated voice and text messages to impersonate senior U.S. government officials. The scheme, active since April 2025, aims to deceive current and former federal and state officials and their associates into giving up sensitive personal information and account access. In a public service announcement, the FBI said malicious actors are sending highly targeted messages to build trust before redirecting victims to separate platforms that AI hackers may control.

Fake AI voice scammers are now impersonating government officials

The FBI issued an alert stating that government employees are being targeted with AI-faked voices. You probably know that it's easy enough to fake audio and video of someone at this point, so you might think to do a little bit of research if you see, say, Jeff Bezos spouting his love for the newest cryptocurrency on Facebook. But more targeted scam campaigns are sprouting up thanks to "AI" fakery, according to the FBI, and they're not content to settle for small-scale rug pulls or romance scams. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a public service announcement yesterday, stating that there's an "ongoing malicious text and voice messaging campaign" that's using faked audio to impersonate a senior US official. Exactly who the campaign is impersonating, or who it's targeting, isn't made clear. But a little imagination -- and perhaps a lack of faith in our elected officials and their appointees -- could illustrate some fairly dire scenarios. "One way the actors gain such access is by sending targeted individuals a malicious link under the guise of transitioning to a separate messaging platform," warns the FBI. It's a familiar tactic, with romance scammers often trying to get their victims off dating apps and onto something more anonymous like Telegram before pumping them for cash or blackmail material. And recent stories of federal employees and bosses communicating over Signal, or some less savory alternatives, have given these messaging systems a lot of exposure. Presumably, the scammers contact a specific target using an unknown number and pretend to be their boss or some other high-ranking official, using an attached voice message to "prove" their identity. These have become trivially easy to fake, as recently demonstrated when billionaires like "Elon Musk" and "Mark Zuckerberg" started confessing to heinous crimes via the speakers at Silicon Valley crosswalks. "Deepfakes" (i.e., impersonating celebrities via animated video and voice) have now become extremely common online. The FBI recommends the usual protection steps to avoid being hoodwinked: don't click on sketchy links over text or email, don't send money (or crypto) to anyone without lots of verification, and use two-factor authentication. One thing I've recently done with my family (since my ugly mug is all over TikTok via PCWorld's short videos) is to establish a secret phrase with my family to give us a way to authenticate each other over voice calls. But with automation tools and hundreds of thousands of potential targets in the US government, it seems inevitable that someone will slip up at some point. Hopefully, federal law enforcement won't be too busy with other matters to take care of real threats.

Scammers use AI to spoof senior U.S. officials' voices, FBI warns

Why it matters: The impersonations show how increasingly sophisticated scammers are becoming about using artificial intelligence to exploit their targets. Context: With seconds of audio, artificial intelligence can mimic a voice that is virtually indistinguishable from the original to the human ear. Our thought bubble, from Axios' Ina Fried: It's another sign that voice cloning has become trivially easy, and that the era of deep fakes is here, not in the future. State of play: Federal layoffs have created new target opportunities for cybercriminals and nation-state adversaries. Go deeper: AI voice-cloning scams: A persistent threat with limited guardrails

AI scammers are now impersonating US government bigwigs, says FBI

Hackers are using deepfake voice messages to steal data from individuals, many of whom are current and former US federal and state officials. Deepfake-assisted hackers are now targeting US federal and state officials by masquerading as senior US officials in the latest brazen phishing campaign to steal sensitive data. The bad actors have been operating since April, using deepfake voice messages and text messages to masquerade as senior government officials and establish rapport with victims, the FBI said in a May 15 warning. "If you receive a message claiming to be from a senior US official, do not assume it is authentic," the agency said. If US officials' accounts are compromised, the scam could become far worse because hackers can then "target other government officials, or their associates and contacts, by using the trusted contact information they obtain," the FBI said. As part of these scams, the FBI says the hackers are trying to access victims' accounts through malicious links and directing them to hacker-controlled platforms or websites that steal sensitive data like passwords. "Contact information acquired through social engineering schemes could also be used to impersonate contacts to elicit information or funds," the agency added. In an unrelated deepfake scam, Sandeep Narwal, co-founder of blockchain platform Polygon, raised the alarm in a May 13 X post that bad actors were also impersonating him with deepfakes. Nailwal said the "attack vector is horrifying" and had left him slightly shaken because several people had "called me on Telegram asking if I was on zoom call with them and am I asking them to install a script." As part of the scam, the bad actors hacked the Telegram of Polygon's ventures lead, Shreyansh and pinged people asking to jump in a Zoom call that had a deepfake of Nailwal, Shreyansh and a third person, according to Nailwal. "The audio is disabled and since your voice is not working, the scammer asks you to install some SDK, if you install game over for you," Nailwal said. "Other issue is, there is no way to complain this to Telegram and get their attention on this matter. I understand they can't possibly take all these service calls but there should be a way to do it, maybe some sort of social way to call out a particular account." At least one user replied in the comments saying the fraudsters had targeted them, while Web3 OG Dovey Wan said she had also been deepfaked in a similar scam. Nailwal suggests the best way to avoid being duped by these types of scams is to never install anything during an online interaction initiated by another person and to keep a separate device specifically for accessing crypto wallets. Related: AI deepfake attacks will extend beyond videos and audio -- Security firms Meanwhile, the FBI says to verify the identity of anyone who contacts you, examine all sender addresses for mistakes or inconsistencies, and check all images and videos for distorted hands, feet or unrealistic facial features. At the same time, the agency recommends never sharing sensitive information with someone you have never met, clicking links from people you don't know, and setting up two-factor or multifactor authentication.

Missed a call from a government official? It may be an AI impersonation, FBI says.

Smishing texts are a scam intended to trick the receiver into sharing personal information, like bank details. The FBI is warning the public about an uptick in smishing attempts involving AI-generated voice messages purporting to be from senior government officials. In a public service announcement issued May 15, the agency said bad actors have been targeting individuals -- many of whom are current or former government employees -- with text and AI-generated voice messages claiming to be from U.S. officials. The methods, known as smishing and vishing, are intended to "establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts," the FBI said. The perpetrators may, for example, ask to transition to a separate messaging platform by sending a malicious link, the FBI said. With access to government-affiliated accounts, the culprits can gain private contact information for other officials. They may also try to elicit information or money, the agency said. What is smishing and vishing? Smishing and vishing are the names of the fraudulent communication campaigns the FBI is warning about. According to the FBI, smishing is malicious targeting using text messages. Vishing uses audio messages that may include AI-generated voices. They are similar tactics to phishing, which uses email to target individuals. How to spot a fake message The FBI offers the following tips for spotting smishing, vishing or phishing attempts:

Malicious Actors Using AI to Pose as Senior US Officials, FBI Says

DETROIT (Reuters) -Malicious actors are using text messages and AI-generated voice messages to impersonate senior U.S. officials in a scheme to gain access to the personal accounts of state and federal government officials, the FBI said on Thursday. Access to targets' accounts could be used to go after additional government officials or their associates and contacts, and could also be used to elicit information or funds, the FBI said in a public service announcement. It did not immediately respond to a request for additional details on how many people had received messages as part of the campaign, or whether the activities are the work of financially motivated cybercriminals or state-aligned actors. Many of the targeted officials are current or former senior U.S. federal or state government officials and their contacts, according to the announcement. The messages are used to establish rapport with targets before sending them a link under the guise of moving the conversation to a separate messaging platform, according to the FBI. The separate platform is in some cases a hacker-controlled website that steals login credentials such as usernames and passwords. The FBI warned in a December 2024 public service announcement that criminals were using artificial intelligence to generate text, images, audio and video to facilitate crimes such as fraud and extortion. (Reporting by AJ Vicens in Detroit; Editing by Joe Bavier)

FBI issues warning about AI voice impersonations of US officials

The FBI warned on Thursday that a malicious messaging campaign has been targeting government officials and their acquaintances by sending voice messages generated with artificial intelligence (AI) impersonating senior U.S. officials to gain access to their data. The FBI said the messaging campaign, which began in April 2025, takes the form of text messages or AI-generated voice messages that claim to be from a senior U.S. official "in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts." At that point, the bad actors might try to gain access by sending a link under the guise of transitioning to a different messaging platform, the FBI warned in its public service announcement. "If you receive a message claiming to be from a senior U.S. official, do not assume it is authentic," the FBI said. The FBI cautioned everyone to be on alert for the malicious messages but said many of the individuals who have been targeted have included "current or former senior U.S. federal or state government officials and their contacts." The FBI particularly warned of the danger that access to government officials' data could pose. "Access to personal or official accounts operated by U.S. officials could be used to target other government officials, or their associates and contacts, by using trusted contact information they obtain. Contact information acquired through social engineering schemes could also be used to impersonate contacts to elicit information or funds," the PSA warned. The FBI provided a series of tips to help spot fake messages. The FBI suggested verifying the identity of the individual by researching the number, organization or person's name purporting to be sending the message. The FBI then said to obtain a phone number for the individual and verify their identity independently. The FBI also suggested examining the URL, email addresses or images carefully for imperfections or spelling errors. The public should also listen to the tone and word choice in voice messages to "distinguish between a legitimate phone call or voice message from a known contact and AI-generated voice cloning, as they can sound nearly identical." "AI-generated content has advanced to the point that it is often difficult to identify," the FBI said in the PSA. "When in doubt about the authenticity of someone wishing to communicate with you, contact your relevant security officials or the FBI for help."

FBI urges all iPhone and Android users to be on high alert for suspicious texts from one person that could compromise security - here's who he is

FBI Alert: iPhone and Android Users Warned About AI-Driven Scam Messages- The FBI has issued a new public warning for iPhone and Android users, urging them to stay alert for text messages and voice calls that appear to come from trusted sources -- but are actually part of a dangerous scam fueled by artificial intelligence. These AI-generated messages are part of a growing cybercrime campaign aimed at stealing personal data, login credentials, and financial information. In its recent alert, the FBI revealed that criminals are impersonating senior U.S. government officials using AI-generated voices and messages, urging the public not to trust these communications at face value. "If you receive a message claiming to be from a senior U.S. official, do not assume it is authentic," the agency cautioned. The FBI says scammers are now using AI tools to create fake voice messages and text messages that mimic real people. This includes cloned voices of family members and government figures, making it extremely difficult to tell what's real and what's not. These scams often include malicious links that, once clicked, can steal your login details or give hackers access to your device. In some cases, the messages may sound convincing -- even emotional -- because the AI has been trained to copy the way someone you know talks. According to the FBI, AI-generated audio is now being used in social engineering attacks, where scammers mimic the voices of people you trust to trick you into handing over sensitive data. This could include your bank login, credit card info, or private documents. The threat of AI voice cloning was already flagged in December 2024, when the FBI warned that cloned voices could even be used to impersonate family members in emergency situations. The agency says it's now harder than ever to distinguish between a real person and an AI-generated voice -- especially during phone calls. The FBI urges users to look closely for small errors in text messages and voice calls. Here's what to watch for: To stay safe, the FBI recommends using a secret phrase or code only your family or close friends know when confirming someone's identity. If you receive a strange message or voice note that seems "off," do not respond. Instead: Jeff Greene, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA, emphasized: "Use your encrypted communications where you have it." He also added, "Even if the adversary is able to intercept the data, if it is encrypted, it will make it impossible [for them to read it]." Yes, according to a previous FBI warning from December 2024, text messages sent between Apple and Android devices are more vulnerable to interception by hackers. Unlike encrypted apps, standard SMS messages don't offer protection against eavesdropping. This is why the FBI recommends switching to end-to-end encrypted platforms. Even if your device is compromised, encrypted apps make it nearly impossible for attackers to read your messages. With AI-driven cyberattacks on the rise, here are the FBI's key safety tips: As AI continues to evolve, so do the scams. Staying informed, alert, and cautious is the best defense for iPhone and Android users facing this new wave of cybercrime. Q1: What is the FBI warning for iPhone and Android users about? The FBI warns users about AI-generated scam texts and voice calls stealing personal info. Q2: How can iPhone and Android users protect themselves from AI voice scams? Use encrypted apps, verify contacts, and avoid clicking unknown links.