Probably deceptively genuine

British Foreign Secretary falls for fake call

Britain's chief diplomat David Cameron

(Bild: AFP/ADNAN BECI)

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has received a fake video call from someone claiming to be former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. A "series of text messages" had been exchanged.

A short video call also took place, the British news agency PA reported, citing the Foreign Office in London. While the video call clearly looked as if it was with Mr. Poroshenko, the minister then became suspicious, PA quoted from a statement by the ministry on Friday evening. Contact details had been requested and, in view of his concerns, the Foreign Minister had no longer replied.

British want to point out danger
The department has now investigated the case and confirmed that the messages and video call were false. They would make the case public if the video call was manipulated and exploited. They also wanted to draw attention to the risk.

The minister regrets his mistake and believes it is important to raise awareness and do more to combat misinformation. Great Britain is one of the most determined supporters of Ukraine in its defense against the Russian war of aggression.

Not the first case
Fake calls have been reported on several occasions. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, for example, fell for a fake call from Russia last winter, which was made by the Russian duo Wowan and Lexus. Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) had previously fallen for the same scam. In the summer of 2022, he was tricked into believing that he was on the phone with the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaly Klitschko.