Savvy scammers used artificial intelligence (AI) to impersonate National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in calls and texts to three foreign ministers, a U.S. governor and a member of Congress — and experts tell the National Enquirer that the deepfake fiasco is a wake-up call for Uncle Sam.
The unidentified imposters created a fake Signal account using the display name [email protected] to send texts and leave voicemails mimicking Rubio’s speech and writing style “with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts,” according to a cable sent by Rubio’s office to U.S. Department of State employees that was cited by The Washington Post.
While the hoax was unsuccessful, Andy LoCascio — chief technology officer for AI start-up Eternos.life — tells the Enquirer that such AI scams represent “an incredible danger” to national security.
“The genie is out of the bottle,” he says. “Anyone can do this using inexpensive tools that are currently available. The paradigm has shifted to where everyone must assume that what they are hearing and seeing in the digital world is fake until proven otherwise.”
Meanwhile, Brian Long — an expert in AI voice-cloning and chief executive officer of Adaptive Security, a cybersecurity firm — tells the Enquirer that AI-produced scams pose a grave danger to everyday citizens and governments alike.
“With just three seconds of audio taken from a voicemail, social media post or any public footage, anyone can create a convincing deepfake that’s completely interactive,” Long says. “You or I could have a conversation with the deepfake, just like if we were talking to the real person.”
In December 2024, the FBI issued a nationwide alert that citizens should be wary of any voice or digital demand for money — even if it comes from what appears to be a trusted source — because AI can be used to make a con so realistic that a victim would believe they were talking to a personal relation.
Joaquin Cuenca — chief executive officer of Freepik, a company that helps businesses leverage AI — tells the Enquirer that scammers used artificial intelligence to clone his voice and sent a message to an executive ordering him to make a bank transfer to an unknown account.
The plot failed, he says, when the wary supervisor smartly contacted colleagues at the company to verify the dubious request.
“AI is blurring the line between real and fake in ways that society may not be prepared to handle,” he says.
Cuenca recommends extending suspicious conversations — especially when there is a request for cash or facts not easily uncovered by scammers online.
“An attacker will try to push a sense of urgency, [but] time is against them,” he explains. “The more you ask [of them], the higher the chances you will catch them.”
Disturbingly, the impersonation of Rubio wasn’t the first time that flimflammers tried to use AI to dupe government officials.
In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that con artists hacked the phone of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and placed numerous calls and messages from it to senators, governors and business executives using an AI-generated replica of her voice.
Rana Gujral — chief executive officer of Behavioral Signals, a company that builds smart AI tools for governments and businesses — calls the threat of scams “incredibly alarming” and recommends government and private businesses institute “layered authentication” for any phone call or digital exchange of significance.
“The world is changing,” Gujral notes, “and everyone from governments to everyday citizens have to adapt.”
