Signal is back to haunt the Trump team—this time targeting Marco Rubio
There’s an impersonator of Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the loose, and they’re using artificial intelligence to target high-level officials.
First detected in mid-June, the AI-powered scam involves voice and text messages that mimic Rubio. The messages are sent via Signal from an account labeled “[email protected]”—a fake email designed to look official. According to a State Department cable obtained by The Washington Post, at least five non-State Department officials have been contacted so far, including three foreign ministers, a U.S. governor, and a sitting member of Congress.
Authorities still don’t know who’s behind the campaign, but the State Department believes that the goal is to trick powerful targets into sharing sensitive information and account access.
“The actor demonstrated extensive knowledge of the department’s naming conventions and internal documentation,” the cable noted.
In several cases, the imposter left voicemails and even invited targets to continue the conversation on Signal, a move experts say should raise red flags.
“This is precisely why you shouldn’t use Signal or other insecure channels for official government business,” said Hany Farid, a UC Berkeley digital forensics expert.
But that warning might be too late. Signal has already caused trouble for the Trump administration. In March, former national security adviser Michael Waltz accidentally added a journalist to a Signal group chat about U.S. attack plans in Yemen. The fallout led to Waltz’s removal and a halt in using Signal for national security meetings. (Rubio has since taken over Waltz’s post.)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth didn’t help either, with a report revealing that he shared details of a military strike in a separate Signal chat with his wife, brother, and personal attorney.
The Rubio impersonation isn’t even the first major scandal this year. In May, someone breached White House chief of staff Susie Wiles’ phone, pretending to be her in calls and messages to senators and business leaders. President Donald Trump downplayed the incident at the time, calling Wiles “an amazing woman” who “can handle it.”
The FBI hasn’t yet commented on the Rubio impersonation, which is a felony.
Meanwhile, the State Department is urging diplomats to report suspicious messages to the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and other officials are being directed to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
“There is no direct cyber threat to the department from this campaign,” the cable read, “but information shared with a third party could be exposed if targeted individuals are compromised,” according to Reuters, which also obtained the memo.
The cable also referenced a Russian-linked hacker in April that targeted think tanks, Eastern European activists, and former State Department staff.
“Once malicious actors obtain phone numbers linked to an official’s Signal account, the impersonation part is easy,” Farid said.
But until the government stops relying on insecure messaging apps for sensitive issues, don’t be surprised if “Marco Rubio” keeps calling.