Contacting Numerous Political and Business Figures to Solicit Money
Recent Hacking of Chief of Staff's Mobile Phone Contact List
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched an investigation after reports that an individual impersonated Suzy Wiles, the White House Chief of Staff, and contacted prominent political and business figures in the United States to solicit money.
On May 29 (local time), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that several U.S. politicians, including federal senators and state governors, as well as chief executive officers (CEOs) of major companies, recently received text messages and phone calls from someone claiming to be Chief of Staff Wiles.
The impersonator contacted the lawmakers by phone, requesting, for example, that they "prepare a list of individuals for President Trump to pardon," and acted as if they were reaching out for official White House business. However, the impersonator was unable to answer questions about President Donald Trump that the Chief of Staff would be expected to know, and even went so far as to request cash transfers. Additionally, the text messages sent by the impersonator contained awkward grammar and were much more formal than Wiles's usual tone, raising suspicions of fraud. Several recipients of the impersonator's messages called Chief of Staff Wiles directly to verify the authenticity of the requests.
There were also reports that the impersonator's voice over the phone sounded similar to that of Chief of Staff Wiles. Government officials believe that the impersonator used an artificial intelligence (AI) program to mimic Wiles's voice.
In connection with this case, it was recently reported that the contact list on Chief of Staff Wiles's personal mobile phone had been hacked. Authorities believe that the impersonator learned the contact information of prominent political and business figures as a result of this hacking. Chief of Staff Wiles has apologized to those on her contact list for any inconvenience caused and has asked them to ignore any suspicious text messages.
The FBI and the White House are investigating both the impersonator's whereabouts and the motive behind the crime. The FBI believes this incident is the work of an individual or a criminal organization, rather than the result of foreign government interference. FBI Director Cathy Patel stated, "We take all threats to the President, his staff, and cybersecurity very seriously," adding, "Protecting the ability of administration officials to communicate securely is our top priority."
Chief of Staff Wiles has previously been the victim of hacking. Last year, hackers affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran hacked her email account and leaked information related to the Trump campaign. Wiles, who is President-elect Trump's most trusted advisor, contributed to his victory as co-chair of the campaign last year and was appointed as the first female White House Chief of Staff.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
