Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday August 01 2017, @05:06PM   Printer-friendly
from the you-can't-make-this-stuff-up dept.

CNN and others are reporting that a prankster from UK has successfully impersonated White House staff sending emails to other White House staff,

"I try and keep it on the humorous side of things," the email prankster told CNN. "I'm not trying to get the keys to the vault or anything like that."

One such exchange appears to have possibly played a role in the tensions between then- White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, who resigned from his job earlier today, and since-fired White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.

Masquerading as Priebus, the prankster emailed Scaramucci's official account using a mail.com account on Saturday, the day after Priebus' resignation was announced.

"I had promised myself I would leave my hands mud free," wrote the fake Priebus, "but after reading your tweet today which stated how; 'soon we will learn who in the media who has class, and who hasn't', has pushed me to this. That tweet was breathtakingly hypocritical, even for you. At no stage have you acted in a way that's even remotely classy, yet you believe that's the standard by which everyone should behave towards you? General Kelly will do a fine job. I'll even admit he will do a better job than me. But the way in which that transition has come about has been diabolical. And hurtful. I don't expect a reply."

The very real Scaramucci responded: "You know what you did. We all do. Even today. But rest assured we were prepared. A Man would apologize."

Fake Priebus wrote back: "I can't believe you are questioning my ethics! The so called 'Mooch', who can't even manage his first week in the White House without leaving upset in his wake. I have nothing to apologize for."

Actual Scaramucci responded: "Read Shakespeare. Particularly Othello. You are right there. My family is fine by the way and will thrive. I know what you did. No more replies from me."

In another exchange, Scaramucci was hoodwinked by the same prankster pretending to be Ambassador to Russia-designate Jon Huntsman Jr.

"Who's (sic) head should roll first?" the bogus Huntsman asked from a Gmail account on Friday, before the Priebus termination had been announced. "Maybe I can help things along somewhat."

"Both of them," responded the real Scaramucci, in an apparent reference to both Priebus and White House Senior Adviser Steve Bannon, about whom Scaramucci has been quite critical.

After a few other nice messages of support from faux Huntsman, Scaramucci wrote, "Are you in Moscow now? If not please visit."

Huntsman himself was also tricked, with the prankster pretending to be Eric Trump, the President's son. "Thanks for the thoughtful note," the ambassador-designate wrote to fake Eric Trump. "Russia will be a challenging but no doubt rewarding assignment." The fake Eric Trump responded with this suggestion: "Maybe we could have Dad sat (sic) on a horse, top off, giving the full Putin! He's in better shape than his suits suggest."

Eric Trump, too, was similarly hoodwinked by the prankster emailing as his older brother, Donald Trump Jr., but he soon caught on and responded, "I have sent this to law enforcement who will handle from here." Neither Huntsman nor Trump would comment on the record.

The email prankster told CNN he never heard from anyone in law enforcement about his email to Eric Trump.

The CNN link also includes a Twitter handle for the prankster...


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 01 2017, @06:01PM (11 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 01 2017, @06:01PM (#547715)

    Why are they not using PGP to encrypt and sign their emails? Wouldn't that help authenticate the sender?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 01 2017, @06:16PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 01 2017, @06:16PM (#547720)

    They aren't using it because it's part of the communist Loonix, and not being sold to them by a glorious capitalist.

  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 01 2017, @06:56PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 01 2017, @06:56PM (#547728)

    > Why are they not using PGP...

    Because they are idiots?

    The emails printed in the CNN link include [suspected_spam] right in the subject line. It doesn't say any more, but I believe that is pretty common for spam checkers?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 01 2017, @07:10PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 01 2017, @07:10PM (#547731)

    Bigger question - why are they writing emails??? The whole world knows by now these things get leaked and fuck you up for years. The "hide the decline" and "trick" spring to mind, painfully. As a rule, for email keep it SUPER bland. Go and talk in person or call... unless you're in a fit of rage then email like a madman. Enjoy the red mist for a few minutes. Reap the pain for the next 5 years.

    • (Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Tuesday August 01 2017, @07:34PM

      by SomeGuy (5632) on Tuesday August 01 2017, @07:34PM (#547734)

      Bigger question - why are they writing emails???

      Quite right. They should be using Twitter, like teh Prez. After all, every newscast says to post on Twitter and like on Facebook. That is just the way things are, that is the way everyone does it, so they need to quit whining about it and stop being Luddites.

      :P

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by nobu_the_bard on Tuesday August 01 2017, @07:51PM (2 children)

      by nobu_the_bard (6373) on Tuesday August 01 2017, @07:51PM (#547735)

      Emails are still a very common communication medium because it is not real time, which is very convenient in many circumstances. You can send it whenever, read it whenever, reply whenever, etc. You are concerned about the record it potentially leaves - but that is also a potential asset, sometimes.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 01 2017, @08:43PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 01 2017, @08:43PM (#547750)

        Good point. Keep it SUPER bland.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 02 2017, @03:10AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 02 2017, @03:10AM (#547831)

        Then there are the people who send an email then call you two seconds later, expecting you've already read everything they wrote and researched anything you'll need to research to answer their question.

        I wish email were more commonly used as you'd indicated.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday August 01 2017, @07:11PM (3 children)

    by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Tuesday August 01 2017, @07:11PM (#547732) Homepage Journal

    but they're not using it because it doesn't run on iPhones.

    --
    Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 01 2017, @08:13PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 01 2017, @08:13PM (#547739)

      You haven't made an offer to sell your services and produce an iPhone solution, why?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 02 2017, @01:16AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 02 2017, @01:16AM (#547812)

      but they're not using it because it doesn't run on iPhones.

      King Trump uses Anroid. When his tweets comes from an iPhone you know it's an aide sending the tweet instead of the tantrum in chief.