What happened
In mid-June 2025 an unidentified impostor created a Signal account displaying the name marco.rubio@state.gov and contacted at least five people, including three foreign ministers, a US governor and a member of Congress, using AI-generated voice messages and texts mimicking Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A State Department cable dated 3 July 2025 described the attempts, which officials characterised as unsuccessful and not technically sophisticated. Investigators assessed the likely goal was to gain access to information or accounts held by the targets.
How the deception worked
The impostor exploited the fact that senior diplomats routinely use Signal for informal contact, so a message from an account labelled with the Secretary's official email address fit the expected pattern. Rather than opening with a request, the actor left short voicemails in a cloned voice and sent texts inviting the target to continue the conversation on Signal, which builds familiarity before anything is asked. The trust signal was the combination of a recognisable voice and a display name resembling a state.gov address, neither of which is authenticated by the platform. Targets who engaged would then have been positioned for requests for information or for account access.
AI involvement · Confirmed AI-enabled
A State Department cable described an impostor using AI-generated voice and text to mimic Secretary of State Marco Rubio, leaving Signal voicemails for at least two targets.
The control that would have caught it· our reading, not a claim from the sources
Display names and voices are not identity: diplomatic contact should be initiated or confirmed through embassy and ministry channels, and platforms used for official business need verified organisational identity.
Sources (2)
- Imposter used AI to pose as Marco Rubio and contact foreign ministersBBC News·feeds.bbci.co.ukOpen ↗
- A Marco Rubio impostor is using AI voice to call high-level officialsThe Washington Post·washingtonpost.comOpen ↗
This entry summarises public reporting. It is not a legal finding, and details can change as investigations conclude. Found an error? Send a correction.