British Prime Minister Andy Burnham reportedly exchanged a few messages with someone posing as White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, then became suspicious, ended the communication and informed relevant authorities.
The messages were described by sources as being of no significance, while their contents remain unclear. The British government declined to comment, citing its policy against discussing national security matters.
What is known about the exchange
Burnham believed he was communicating with Wiles during a recent exchange, according to a report published on Monday. The British Embassy in the United States was reportedly extremely concerned and informed the White House.
The White House has since confirmed that the incident did not involve Wiles’s devices being hacked. The available account does not identify how the impersonation was carried out or who was behind it.
Why officials are warning about impersonation
US authorities have warned in recent months that malicious actors are using artificial intelligence to impersonate senior government officials. The FBI previously opened an investigation with the White House into an impostor who posed as Wiles and contacted senior Republicans and business officials.
Two months later, the State Department said it was investigating another impostor who pretended to be Secretary of State Marco Rubio and contacted three foreign ministers.
A wider communications-security concern
Concern over the security of official communications has increased during President Donald Trump’s second term. In March last year, a US journalist was added to a Signal group chat where senior security officials discussed military strikes on the Houthis in Yemen.
A Pentagon report published in December concluded that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth could have endangered US soldiers by sharing secret information in the chat. The report on Burnham’s exchange has not established that classified information was involved.
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