Overview

• Pranksters posing as Ukraine's president tricked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell into a conversation about the US and global economy in January.
• The prank call surfaced in a video that appeared on Russian state television and the Fed cannot confirm the accuracy of the video.
• The alleged pranksters have successfully duped multiple foreign leaders into speaking with them over the last several years.
• Powell appeared to discuss the economic impact of interest rate hikes and said a “recession is almost as likely as very slow growth” this year.
• The phone call was reportedly carried out by a duo of longtime Russian pranksters, Vladimir Kutznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov.