Feds probe impersonation scheme of WH chief of staff that contacted lawmakers, top biz execs

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has reportedly fallen victim to an impersonation scheme with someone pretending to be her in messages to a number of top Republicans and business leaders, prompting a federal investigation.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is looking into the bogus texts and phone calls that were placed in recent weeks by an unknown individual who falsely presented themselves as President Donald J. Trump’s top aide, and could have been using artificial intelligence to imitate her voice.

Federal authorities are investigating a clandestine effort to impersonate White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, after an unknown individual reached out to prominent Republicans and business executives pretending to be her. ⁦@jdawsey1⁩ scoop: https://t.co/ob6wB8i2nr

— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) May 30, 2025

The fraudster contacted “senators, governors, top U.S. business executives and other well-known figures” in the text messages and calls, in one case, asking for money, the outlet reported on Thursday.

“In recent weeks, senators, governors, top U.S. business executives and other well-known figures have received text messages and phone calls from a person who claimed to be the chief of staff, the people familiar with the messages said,” according to the paper.

“But the messages weren’t from Wiles—and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the White House are trying to figure out who is behind the effort and what the goal is, according to some of the people. FBI officials have told the White House they don’t believe a foreign nation is involved, some of the people said,” the WSJ reported.

“The White House takes the cybersecurity of all staff very seriously, and this matter continues to be investigated,” a White House official said.

“The FBI takes all threats against the president, his staff, and our cybersecurity with the utmost seriousness,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to the WSJ. “Safeguarding our administration officials’ ability to securely communicate to accomplish the president’s mission is a top priority.”

Some recipients found the messages to be suspicious due to the texts coming from an unknown number and the asking of questions that the real Wiles should have known the answers to.

“It became clear to some of the lawmakers that the requests were suspicious when the impersonator began asking questions about Trump that Wiles should have known the answers to—and in one case, when the impersonator asked for a cash transfer, some of the people said,” the outlet reported.

“In many cases, the impersonator’s grammar was broken and the messages were more formal than the way Wiles typically communicates, people who have received the messages said. The calls and text messages also didn’t come from Wiles’s phone number,” according to the WSJ.

Wiles, who has been nicknamed the “Ice Maiden” for her coolness, has reportedly explained that her cellphone was hacked.

Earlier this month, the FBI issued a warning about “an ongoing malicious text and voice messaging campaign” being conducted by “malicious actors” who have  “impersonated senior US officials to target individuals, many of whom are current or former senior US federal or state government officials and their contacts.”

PSA: Senior US Officials Impersonated in Malicious Messaging Campaign: https://t.co/GkweE1H2cX#FBIBirmingham #PSA pic.twitter.com/vvs5WRuv85

— FBI Birmingham (@FBIBirmingham) May 15, 2025

“The malicious actors have sent text messages and AI-generated voice messages — techniques known as smishing and vishing, respectively — that claim to come from a senior US official in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts. One way the actors gain such access is by sending targeted individuals a malicious link under the guise of transitioning to a separate messaging platform,” the agency said in a May 15 public service announcement.

“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 FBI warned.

Staff Writer

Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.

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