Graham reveals Schumer impersonation hack attempt as members warned on phishing

A week that began with a warning to Senate offices about attempted phishing schemes is coming to a close with Sen. Lindsey Graham revealing someone targeted him with a hack pretending to be Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Graham publicly revealed the attempted hack Thursday at the Hill & Valley Forum, making him arguably the most visible target in a concerted effort to target lawmakers, including attempts to mimic White House officials and Schumer.

“My phone is in the hands of the FBI now,” Graham said. “I get a message, I think, from Schumer, it ain’t from Schumer, and next thing you know, my phone’s, I don’t know what. Anything you can create apparently can be hacked.”

The Senate sergeant at arms, which handles cybersecurity for the chamber, sent an advisory warning to Senate offices Monday about the phishing scheme attempt.

A spokesperson for Graham, Taylor Reidy, said, “The sergeant at arms is investigating a possible hack of Sen. Graham’s phone."

Graham was far from the only target. Late last Friday, other senators began getting texts posing as White House officials, from the chief of staff to the vice president’s office, as well as posing as Schumer, according to a Senate aide.

Schumer is famously a flip-phone user who prefers a call over texting.