The personal mobile phone numbers of three UK government ministers, including Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, have been found published online along with their names.
The revelation comes after POLITICO reported that Premier Andy Burnham fell victim to a texting scam. He had been exchanging messages with an unknown person who introduced himself as Susie Wiles, Donald Trump's White House chief of staff. Burnham realized the contact was illegal and ended the conversation.
After checking a list of cabinet members, POLITICO said it found the numbers of Justice Secretary Alex Norris and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant published online. POLITICO said it could not reveal where the numbers could be found to avoid further compromising security.
The three ministers declined to comment on the data. Authorities have removed the Defense Secretary's number and are working to delete the other two.
Ministers are given secure government devices to carry out their duties, especially for high-risk roles like defense. They are therefore required to use these devices for non-personal communications.
Downing Street did not comment on the news that Burnham exchanged messages with an unknown person, citing "national security".
A person familiar with the communications said “a few messages” were exchanged after the prime minister entered his office, but insisted they were “not significant.” It is not clear how the scammer obtained Burnham’s number. POLITICO could not find it published online.
British officials initially feared that Wiles' phone had been hacked, but a White House official said: "This incident had nothing to do with the hacking of the Chief of Staff's equipment."
It is not clear whether Burnham will change his phone number. ©Prepared by LAPSI.al
