On the 20th on, about a month after taking office, U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged text messages with someone impersonating U.S. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Politico Europe reported on the 17th local time. The prime minister's office said no sensitive information such as national security was shared by message.
Anonymous officials said Burnham began to grow suspicious while exchanging text messages with a person posing as Wiles after taking office. It is not known exactly how many messages were exchanged or what they said. According to the report, the prime minister's office claimed it does not comment on national security matters.
The U.K. government conveyed its concerns to the White House through the embassy in the United States and said it suspects Wiles' phone may have been hacked again.
In the United States last year, a person impersonating Wiles called or texted prominent figures including U.S. senators, governors, and chief executive officers (CEO·Chief Executive Officer), prompting the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI·Federal Bureau of Investigation) to open an investigation. The impersonator also demanded cash transfers. Wiles told people around her at the time that her phone's contact list had been hacked.
Earlier in Europe, former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and former Polish President Andrzej Duda were duped into calls by Russian YouTubers impersonating senior politicians or diplomats, after which the recordings were released.