According to a report by The Washington Post on Tuesday, July 8th, scammers have been using artificial intelligence (AI) voice cloning technology to impersonate US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and contact several high-ranking officials, sparking concerns.
It was revealed that the scammers used AI technology to mimic Rubio’s voice and communication writing habits, contacting at least three foreign ministers, one US governor, and one US congressman through text messages, the Signal encrypted app, and voice messages.
An official from the State Department stated that these AI scams were unsuccessful and “not very sophisticated.” Another official disclosed that due to an increase in malicious activities from abroad attempting to harm US information security, the State Department believes it is prudent to inform all employees and foreign governments “out of caution.” They requested anonymity as they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
In response to The Washington Post, the State Department stated that they will “conduct a thorough investigation and continue to implement protective measures to prevent future occurrences.” However, officials declined to discuss the specific contents of the messages sent by the scammers or the names of the officials contacted.
Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert at the University of California, Berkeley, mentioned that utilizing AI voice cloning technology only requires 15 to 20 seconds of the target’s audio data to replicate anyone’s voice. Sending voice messages does not necessitate a phone call interaction, making the cloning of voices particularly effective.
The State Department has urged diplomats to report any incidents of impersonation scams to the Diplomatic Security Bureau, while non-State Department personnel should report to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center if they encounter such fraudulent activities.
In May, the FBI issued a warning regarding fraudulent activities involving AI voice cloning, urging individuals to be vigilant to prevent personal information or funds from being stolen.