Latest news with #governmentOfficials
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Swatter confesses in court to terrorizing US politicians including Marjorie Taylor Greene from 6,000 miles away
A Romanian man confessed in court this week to terrorizing 'dozens of government officials,' including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, with hoax 911 reports. Thomasz Szabo, 26, admitted to being the ringleader of an online community, which in late 2020, engaged in a pattern of bomb threats and 'swatting' — falsely reporting an ongoing threat of violence at a victim's home address for the purpose of provoking a police response there, court documents said. As the leader of the group, Szabo made false reports to U.S. law enforcement, including a threat in December 2020 to commit a mass-shooting at New York City synagogues, a threat in January 2021 to detonate explosives at the U.S. Capitol, and to kill President Trump, authorities say. He even publicized his 'swatting' activity to his followers and encouraged them to engage in similar behavior, according to the attorney's office. Szabo, aka 'Plank,' 'Jonah,' and 'Cypher,' went on to unleash 'a spree of swatting and bomb threats' with subordinate members of his group on Christmas Eve in 2023, continuing through early January of 2024. During the attacks, one of the group members bragged to Szabo: 'I did 25+ swattings today,' and 'creating massive havoc in [A]merica. $500,000+ in taxpayers' money wasted in just two days.' He and his group targeted at least six then-current or former senior U.S. executive branch officials, including multiple cabinet-level officials, the attorney's office said. Greene, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, and at least two other Georgia state senators are believed to have been targeted in December 2023 with fake 911 calls to their homes, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. 'Anyone who hijacks police resources for senseless crimes like these will have to answer for their actions,' said Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host appointed by President Trump to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. DA officials said the plethora of victims included congress, senior federal law enforcement officials, judges, state government officials, multiple members of the media, and four religious institutions. 'This defendant led a dangerous swatting criminal conspiracy, deliberately threatening dozens of government officials with violent hoaxes and targeting our nation's security infrastructure from behind a screen overseas,' said Attorney General Bondi. 'This case reflects our continued focus on protecting the American people and working with international partners to stop these threats at their source,' she added. Szabo was extradited from Romania in November 2024, and his sentencing is scheduled for October 23.
Wall Street Journal
6 days ago
- General
- Wall Street Journal
Trump List of ‘Sanctuary Jurisdictions' Prompts Pushback
The Trump administration's list of U.S. cities and counties deemed uncooperative with federal immigration laws has sparked confusion from some government officials and backlash from others who say they shouldn't have been included. The list, released Thursday, was riddled with spelling mistakes. It named communities that have been supporters of President Trump's immigration crackdown as well as some that have been critical. It has counties and cities in both red and blue states.
CNA
15-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Malicious actors using AI to pose as senior US officials, FBI says
DETROIT :Malicious actors are using text messages and AI-generated voice messages to impersonate senior U.S. officials in a scheme to gain access to the personal accounts of state and federal government officials, the FBI said on Thursday. Access to targets' accounts could be used to go after additional government officials or their associates and contacts, and could also be used to elicit information or funds, the FBI said in a public service announcement. It did not immediately respond to a request for additional details on how many people had received messages as part of the campaign, or whether the activities are the work of financially motivated cybercriminals or state-aligned actors. Many of the targeted officials are current or former senior U.S. federal or state government officials and their contacts, according to the announcement. The messages are used to establish rapport with targets before sending them a link under the guise of moving the conversation to a separate messaging platform, according to the FBI. The separate platform is in some cases a hacker-controlled website that steals login credentials such as usernames and passwords. The FBI warned in a December 2024 public service announcement that criminals were using artificial intelligence to generate text, images, audio and video to facilitate crimes such as fraud and extortion.
Reuters
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Malicious actors using AI to pose as senior US officials, FBI says
DETROIT, May 15 (Reuters) - Malicious actors are using text messages and AI-generated voice messages to impersonate senior U.S. officials in a scheme to gain access to the personal accounts of state and federal government officials, the FBI said on Thursday. Access to targets' accounts could be used to go after additional government officials or their associates and contacts, and could also be used to elicit information or funds, the FBI said in a public service announcement. It did not immediately respond to a request for additional details on how many people had received messages as part of the campaign, or whether the activities are the work of financially motivated cybercriminals or state-aligned actors. Many of the targeted officials are current or former senior U.S. federal or state government officials and their contacts, according to the announcement, opens new tab. The messages are used to establish rapport with targets before sending them a link under the guise of moving the conversation to a separate messaging platform, according to the FBI. The separate platform is in some cases a hacker-controlled website that steals login credentials such as usernames and passwords. The FBI warned in a December 2024, opens new tab public service announcement that criminals were using artificial intelligence to generate text, images, audio and video to facilitate crimes such as fraud and extortion.
