Democrat senator targeted by deepfake impersonator of Ukrainian official on Zoom call: reports

Authorities are investigating a mysterious “deep fake” video call that successfully impersonated a Ukrainian high official.

Democratic Sen. Benjamin Cardin announced Wednesday that he had turned over materials to law enforcement after an unknown suspect had tricked him onto a video call via impersonating a foreign official.

“In recent days, a malign actor engaged in a deceptive attempt to have a conversation with me by posing as a known individual. After immediately becoming clear that the individual I was engaging with was not who they claimed to be, I ended the call and my office took swift action, alerting the relevant authorities.”

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He continued, “This matter is now in the hands of law enforcement, and a comprehensive investigation is underway.”

Sen. Benjamin Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland, during an event in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The Democrat senator was the target of a deep fake video call by an impostor claiming to be the Ukrainian minister of foreign affairs. (Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Cardin had been duped into accepting the call after receiving what seemed like authentic emails from Dmytro Kuleba — the Ukrainian foreign minister — requesting an opportunity for a one-on-one conversation.

When the Democratic senator logged on to a video call with the Ukrainian official, everything seemed normal at first — but the conversation soon turned tense and Cardin realized something was wrong.

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The Kuleba impersonator reportedly asked Cardin a series of increasingly direct foreign policy questions, such as “Do you support long-range missiles into Russian territory? I need to know your answer.”

After realizing what was happening, Cardin reportedly disconnected the call and contacted the authorities.

Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Ivanovych Kuleba talks to media prior to the start of an Informal meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in the Europa Building in Brussels, Belgium.  (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)

The Senate security office issued an alert to relevant leaders on the Hill urging vigilance against similar schemes.

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The alert noted that the impostor asked a series of “politically charged questions in relation to the upcoming election” that were “likely trying to bait the senator into commenting on a political candidate.” 

The FBI is reportedly investigating the incident.