Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron became the victim of a hoax involving a fake video call and text messages from someone impersonating Petro Poroshenko, the former president of Ukraine. The Foreign Office, in an attempt to prevent any potential misuse or manipulation of the footage from the hoax, released a statement detailing the incident. The statement explained that “some text messages were exchanged, followed by a brief video call between the Foreign Secretary and an individual falsely claiming to be Petro Poroshenko.” A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office confirmed that the call took place recently and was “brief” but did not provide details on the party behind the impersonation or how the individual obtained Cameron’s contact information. The Foreign Office emphasized that Cameron regrets his mistake and believes it is crucial to highlight such behavior and strengthen efforts to combat the spread of misinformation. However, the statement did not disclose any specifics about the conversation, except that the caller requested contact information for other individuals. The Foreign Office stated that Cameron is making the incident public “in case the video of the Foreign Secretary is manipulated and subsequently used, and to ensure that others are aware of this risk.” This is not the first time a British foreign minister has fallen prey to a hoax. In 2018, then-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson engaged in discussions about international relations and rude poetry with a hoax caller posing as the prime minister of Armenia. In 2022, Britain accused Russia of making hoax calls to two ministers and attempting to call a third. This information was provided with the assistance of various agencies.
