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.
βSince 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,β Thursdayβs advisory from the bureauβs Internet Crime Complaint Center said. βIf you receive a message claiming to be from a senior US official, do not assume it is authentic.β
Think you canβt be fooled? Think again.
The campaign's creators are sending AI-generated voice messagesβbetter known as deepfakesβalong with text messages βin an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts,β 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.
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