Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) had an embarrassing situation unfold this week after he was targeted by a "deepfake" operation on a Zoom call.

According to JustTheNews, Cardin, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Relations Committee, was targeted by a bad actor who was posing as a Ukrainian official, causing absolute chaos after it was discovered that the call was a fake.

The scammer was posing as former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

It was reported that the deepfake scammer was asking bizarre questions about missile support for Ukraine as the war with Russia continues.

What happened?

Cardin and his office stated that it quickly became clear that the person on the other line was not who they claimed to be, adding that the senator's office took quick and appropriate law enforcement action.

“In recent days, a malign actor engaged in a deceptive attempt to have a conversation with me by posing as a known individual," a statement from the Maryland senator read.

He added, "After immediately becoming clear that the individual I was engaging with was not who they claimed to be, I ended the call and my office took swift action, alerting the relevant authorities. This matter is now in the hands of law enforcement, and a comprehensive investigation is underway."

It was noted that Cardin's security team notified a "select group of leadership aides and security chiefs" after the fake caller was identified.

Sen. Ben Cardin Reportedly Targeted By Deepfake Video Caller Posing As Ukrainian Officialhttps://t.co/QENGzvl8jY pic.twitter.com/enLTVr4q7Z

— Forbes (@Forbes) September 26, 2024

The scammer reportedly asked Cardin and his office, "Do you support long-range missiles into Russian territory? I need to know your answer."

Kuleba responds

Kuleba responded to the deepfake situation on his Instagram account, clarifying that the call was not initiated by him.

"News broke today that US Senator Ben Cardin recently received a video call allegedly from me. Of course, it wasn't me. The attackers created my deep fake (literally - deep fake) and contacted the senator via video call. I'm 99% sure they were Russian pranksters," the former official wrote.

He added, "You might think that this can only happen to politicians or celebrities. But no, it can happen to anyone, including you. I myself fell for such a deepfake a year and a half ago, so now I understand how it works and what to do with it."

Authorities have opened an investigation into the matter.