Burnham becomes second UK PM duped by imposter after Cameron hoax call
Tricked by fake advisor.
Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
- New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham messaged a person posing as Trump advisor Susie Wiles, triggering a security scare.
- The British embassy raised the incident with White House officials.
- The case revived fears over repeat impersonation attempts targeting Wiles’s circle.
- Burnham joins David Cameron as a UK leader duped by a high-level imposter.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Britain’s new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, exchanged messages with someone posing as one of Donald Trump’s most senior White House advisors, triggering security concerns on both sides of the Atlantic.
Four officials told Politico that Burnham messaged a person posing as Susie Wiles, the US president’s chief of staff and one of his closest political allies.
The incident was serious enough for the British embassy to raise concerns with White House officials, according to 2 people familiar with the matter.
Number 10 declined to discuss the incident in detail, saying it “did not report on national security matters.”
It remains unclear what Burnham and the impersonator discussed, how long the exchange lasted, or when the messages were sent.
The timing could prove significant.
Burnham became Prime Minister on July 20th, but had widely been expected to succeed Keir Starmer after winning the Makerfield by-election on June 18th.
Fears over repeat breach
The episode has renewed concerns about attempts to impersonate Wiles and gain access to powerful political figures.
In May 2025, an impostor reportedly contacted people in Wiles’s circle by text and phone, in some cases asking for money and presidential pardons.
The FBI launched an investigation into the incident amid reports that artificial intelligence had been used to mimic Wiles’s voice during calls to Republican politicians.
Wiles, a key Trump ally, had already been targeted in 2024 by a cyber-espionage operation linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Cameron also targeted
Burnham is not the first senior British politician to be caught out by someone impersonating a major international figure.
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Former UK PM David Cameron was targeted by a hoax caller in 2024 while serving as Foreign Secretary in Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government.
The caller posed as former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and succeeded in holding a video conversation with Lord Cameron.
Russian Pranksters later claimed responsibility and publicly released video footage of the call.
