What You Need to Know About Scammers Pretending to Be Marco Rubio and Other Officials

In this age where any familiar name can be stolen and voices can be faked, it's hard to tell who we can truly trust. Is it really your friend? Is that email really from a senator? It’s like a dystopian movie right now. People are losing not only their money but also their identities and peace of mind.

Government impersonation scams are when scammers use AI to pose as government officials, like Senator Marco Rubio. This can lead to financial loss, identity theft, and emotional distress.

Impersonation scams are on the rise in the US. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the median loss to imposter scams was $800 in 2023 and $14,740 in the first three months of 2024. This rise can be attributed to the emergence of AI tools (e.g., deepfakes) that help scammers impersonate anyone, even government officials.

In a recent case, Senator Marco Rubio became the center of an impersonation scam.

An unidentified scammer used AI to pose as Senator Marco Rubio. Next, they contacted at least five high-ranking officials. That includes:

• Foreign ministers
• A governor
• A member of Congress

The imposter made highly convincing voice calls and texts, copying even Senator Rubio’s tone and speaking style.

This attack was first reported on July 3. The scammer’s goal was seemingly to access sensitive information and to take over digital accounts.

This is not the first time Senator Rubio has been impersonated. In the past, scammers created a deepfake of the senator in a video, saying he’s pushing to cut off Ukraine’s access to Starlink (Elon Musk’s internet service).

The State Department is actively investigating the attack and has been making efforts to improve its cybersecurity.

This makes you wonder, if a high-ranking government official can be easily impersonated, how easy can it be to fake an average citizen?

So, what exactly is a government impersonation scam?

A government impersonation scam is when scammers pose as officials from the Social Security Administration, the IRS, the FBI, Homeland Security, and even Medicare.

Before, government impersonation scams were simpler. You can spot a government imposter through grammar errors and slight changes in phone numbers or email addresses.

Today, government impersonation scams are more convincing, thanks to AI.

Scammers are using chatbots to write fake emails without grammatical errors. What’s worse, they use deepfake, which helps them clone the voice and appearance of someone. These advancements make impersonation schemes even more effective.

Some of the lies scammers often use are:

• You’ve missed jury duty.
• You owe taxes.
• You’re eligible for benefits.

• Step 1: Data Collection: Scammers collect training data for AI deepfakes, such as audio and videos of government officials. Plus, scammers get information on their potential victims through social media, data brokers, people search sites, and the dark web.
  
• Step 2: Contact: Once scammers have enough information, the fake message, and the deepfake, they’ll start contact.
  
• Step 3: Urgency & Fear: To make you act quickly, they’ll claim that you could be arrested or that your Social Security number is compromised.
  
• Step 4: Verification and Payment Request: They’ll ask you to “confirm” your identity by giving your information and then ask you to pay via irreversible methods (e.g., wire transfers, prepaid cards, or crypto).
  
• Step 5: Disappearance: Once scammers have your information and money, they’ll disappear quickly.

So, what makes government impersonation scams possible? It’s because of data access.

Scammers can use deepfakes because they can easily collect training data from the internet. There are vast amounts of videos and audio of government officials from the news, interview clips, and more.

Additionally, the reason you can be targeted is data access. Scammers can easily get your contact details. For example, they can find your contact number on people search sites like Whitepages.com, AnyWho, Intelius, and more.

Overall, the explosion of personal data on the internet has made it easy for scammers to target us.

The immediate impact of this is financial loss. Some lose hundreds of dollars, while others lose thousands.

If you’ve shared your personal information, you’ll be at risk of identity theft. For example, with your Social Security number, scammers can claim government benefits using your name.

Lastly, you could be affected emotionally. There are victims who have said they’ve experienced intense feelings of fear, betrayal, and embarrassment.

To protect yourself, always verify. If a government official or agency is suddenly asking you to send information or money, hang up. Verify the claim by reaching out using the official channels.

Also, opt out of data brokers and people search sites. That way, scammers can’t easily target you. You can do this by going to every site and filling out their opt-out forms. You can also use our opt-out guide. If you don’t have the time or want to do it faster, you can use data removal services like ours.

Aside from these two tips, you can also protect yourself by recognizing red flags like:

• Threatening Language
• Urgent Claims
• Unusual Payment Methods (e.g., gift cards and wire transfers)
• Unexpected Contact
• Spoofed Phone Numbers or Emails
• Signs of Deepfake:
  • Eye alignment issues
  • Unnatural expressions
  • Unnatural lighting
  • Irregular pixel patterns
  • Lip-sync and voice mismatch

Overall, it’s hard to trust anyone or anything in this digital age. That’s why you should always verify before making a final decision.

Even though impersonators are getting smarter, so are we. So, keep yourself informed and spread awareness.

How to report when you’re targeted with an impersonation scam?

If targeted, you can report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Even though an individual report can’t be resolved easily, your report will contribute to the FTC’s investigations and help build a case.

How to report impersonation scams on Facebook?

To report on Facebook, go to the fake profile, then find and click the three dots “...” button. Next, click “Report Profile.” It’s also ideal to ask the others to report the profile as well because it will fast-track Facebook’s actions on the impersonator.