The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a Public Service Announcement (PSA) warning about a sophisticated malicious messaging campaign in which threat actors are impersonating senior U.S. government officials. Since April 2025, attackers have used smishing (malicious text messages) and vishing (AI-generated voice messages) to target current and former federal and state officials, as well as their contacts. These messages aim to build trust before tricking individuals into clicking malicious links or transitioning to other messaging platforms where login credentials or sensitive data can be stolen. Once attackers gain access to a personal or official account, they may use it to impersonate the victim and target others in their network.
The campaign leverages advanced social engineering, including AI-generated voices and publicly available photos, to make impersonations more convincing. Threat actors often use phone numbers that are difficult to trace and can mimic the tone, vocabulary, and even voice patterns of known individuals. To protect yourself, the FBI recommends verifying any unexpected messages or calls independently, avoiding clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments, and never sharing sensitive information or authentication codes via text or voice message. For full details, you can refer to the Public Service Announcement released by the FBI.