Malicious actors are using artificial intelligence to impersonate senior US officials via text messages and AI-generated voice clips in a campaign aimed at breaching personal accounts of federal and state government personnel, the FBI said on Thursday.
In a public service announcement, the agency said the attackers are leveraging deepfake technologies to build trust with targets, before redirecting them to external platforms where their login credentials can be harvested.
“The stolen data can then be used to access other government officials or their associates and contacts,” the FBI warned, adding that the impersonation tactics may also be used to elicit sensitive information or financial resources.
The agency did not disclose how many officials had been targeted or whether the activity was tied to criminal syndicates or state-backed groups.
Many of the targets are current or former high-ranking officials at federal or state levels, according to the alert.
Once contact is made, the threat actors reportedly attempt to shift the conversation to a separate platform—sometimes a fake site designed to steal usernames and passwords.
The FBI previously flagged the risks of AI-enabled scams in a December 2024 advisory, noting the rise of AI-generated text, audio, video and images used for fraud, identity theft, and extortion.
Experts say the wide availability of AI tools is making it increasingly simple for scammers to mimic voices or writing styles of friends, colleagues or public figures.
“Once they have access to a legitimate account, it becomes far easier to manipulate others,” the FBI said, warning of a potential ripple effect if such tactics remain unchecked.
The agency has not named any specific group behind the campaign.
During the 2024 US presidential election, American intelligence agencies attributed a wave of AI-generated misinformation to Russian operatives, who spread deepfake videos about voter fraud in an attempt to sway public opinion.
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