British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was involved in a messaging exchange with someone impersonating a senior official from the U.S. administration, according to reports published Monday. A spokesperson for Burnham declined to comment, citing security protocols that restrict discussions on national security matters.
The incident was initially reported by Politico, which cited four unnamed officials. Burnham mistakenly believed he was communicating with Susie Wiles, the chief of staff for former U.S. President Donald Trump. He became suspicious and ended the communication once he realized the deception.
The White House clarified that the incident was not related to any breach of Wiles’ devices.
Last year, U.S. authorities investigated incidents involving messages received by elected officials, business executives, and other prominent individuals from someone pretending to be Wiles. Following these incidents, the U.S. State Department issued warnings to American diplomats about attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and possibly other officials, using artificial intelligence. The warnings were prompted after discovering attempts to contact at least three foreign ministers, a U.S. senator, and a governor under the guise of being Rubio.
The FBI has cautioned about ‘malicious actors’ using AI to impersonate government officials.
Burnham, who became Prime Minister less than a month ago, has been working to establish a strong relationship with the White House. Initially, Trump was open to engaging with Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, but later distanced himself from the former leader.