UK's new PM messaged with person claiming to be Trump's chief of staff

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has confirmed he exchanged messages with someone pretending to be US President Donald Trump's chief of staff.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to central England on Tuesday, Mr Burnham said he was not embarrassed by the incident, which was raised with the White House.

Here's what to know. 

What happened?

Politico first reported on Monday that Mr Burnham engaged with "a few messages" sent by someone impersonating White House chief of staff Susie Wiles via an unspecified communication channel.

Mr Burnham said he became suspicious of the contact and reported the incident.

The British embassy in Washington then raised the matter with the White House, according to two sources cited by Politico.

The White House did not immediately respond to an ABC request for comment.

What was said in the messages?

We don't have the details.

The messages have not been released to the public, and Downing Street has declined to say when the exchange occurred or how many were sent.

But Mr Burnham has said nothing sensitive had been discussed during the "minimal exchange".

"Nothing of consequence, and actually, quickly I realised that this needed to be reported, and I did so," he said during a visit to the central English city of Wolverhampton.

Have there been security incidents like this before?

Yes.

Federal authorities began investigating a similar effort to impersonate Ms Wiles, according to reports published in May 2025.

The FBI probe came after an unknown individual who posed as Ms Wiles contacted prominent Republicans and business executives.

Ms Wiles told associates her personal phone had been hacked and the information on her contact list exposed.

Several people who received messages from the person claiming to be Ms Wiles reportedly became suspicious when the impersonator attempted to move the conversations to Telegram.

Mr Burnham is not the first British leader to fall victim to a hoax call, either.

Boris Johnson talked about sanctions against Russia during a hoax call that lasted 18 minutes while he was foreign secretary in 2018. 

And former prime minister David Cameron fell victim to hoaxes in 2024 and 2015.

In the more recent incident, he spoke with someone impersonating former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko via a call and text messages.

While he was prime minister in 2015, Downing Street connected him with a caller pretending to be the head of the UK Government Communications Headquarters.

How has Burnham responded?

Asked on Tuesday, local time, whether he was embarrassed at being taken in, Mr Burnham said: "No, I'm not."

"I handled it in the right way. All politicians are receiving these pressures and these challenges, but I did everything right,"

he said.

He added that the "correct action" was taken in both the UK and US.

How can you spot a scam caller?

While this hoax call may have been tailored to Mr Burnham, scammers can target anyone. 

Here are some quick warning signs that a caller may be a scammer, according to Scamwatch:

• They ask for personal or financial information:
  • payment, or for you to move money between accounts
  • your password, PIN, one-time code, or some other security information
  • credit card or banking details to process a refund or other "overpayment"
• They want you to install software or access a secure account on your mobile phone or computer
• They threaten you with immediate arrest, deportation, or blackmail
• They suggest you or your accounts have been hacked or involved in fraud
• They tell you about a way to make quick, easy money with little risk or effort.