WASHINGTON — The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) on May 15 issued Public Service Announcement I-051525-PSA after detecting a malicious text- and voice-messaging campaign that poses as communications from senior U.S. officials. The scheme, active since April, has largely targeted current or former federal and state officials and the people in their address books.
Attackers send “smishing” texts and AI-generated “vishing” voice messages that appear legitimate, then steer recipients to other platforms or links in order to harvest credentials and take over personal or work accounts. Compromised accounts can be leveraged to reach additional officials or associates, the PSA warns.
The alert defines the tactics:
IC3 advises recipients to verify any unsolicited message that claims to come from an official by calling a known number, to inspect sender information and URLs for subtle changes, and to enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts. Users should never share verification codes, send money, or click links from unverified contacts, the bureau said.
Local and state government IT and security staff are urged to brief employees, update incident-response plans, and remind personnel that AI voice cloning can closely mimic familiar speakers. Victims should report incidents to their local FBI field office and file a complaint at IC3.gov with as much detail as possible.
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