(The Hill) — The FBI warned on Thursday that a malicious messaging campaign has been targeting government officials and their acquaintances by sending AI-generated voice messages impersonating senior U.S. officials to gain access to their data.

The FBI said the messaging campaign, which began in April 2025, takes the form of text messages or AI-generated voice messages and claims to be from a senior U.S. official “in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts.”

At that point, the bad actors might try to gain access by sending a link under the guise of transitioning to a different messaging platform, the FBI warned in its public service announcement.

“If you receive a message claiming to be from a senior US official, do not assume it is authentic,” the FBI said.

The FBI cautioned everyone to be on alert for the malicious messages, but said many of the individuals who have been targeted have included “current or former senior US federal or state government officials and their contacts.”

The FBI particularly warned of the danger that access to government officials’ data could pose.

“Access to personal or official accounts operated by US officials could be used to target other government officials, or their associates and contacts, by using trusted contact information they obtain. Contact information acquired through social engineering schemes could also be used to impersonate contacts to elicit information or funds,” the PSA warned.

The FBI provided a series of tips to help spot a fake message. The FBI suggested verifying the identity of the individual by researching the number, organization or person’s name purporting to be sending the message. The FBI then said to obtain a phone number for the individual and verify their identity independently.

The FBI also suggested examining the URL, email addresses or images carefully for imperfections or spelling errors. The public should also listen to the tone and word choice in voice messages to “distinguish between a legitimate phone call or voice message from a known contact and AI-generated voice cloning, as they can sound nearly identical.”

“AI-generated content has advanced to the point that it is often difficult to identify,” the FBI said in the PSA. “When in doubt about the authenticity of someone wishing to communicate with you, contact your relevant security officials or the FBI for help.”