FBI Warns Public About Fake Election Threat Videos
WASHINGTON - The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a warning about two counterfeit videos that contain false claims regarding terrorism threats aimed at disrupting the U.S. election process and voter fraud. The FBI stated that a video appearing to originate from the agency claims a high-level terrorism threat and advises Americans to "vote remotely," which is not true.
Another video resembles an official press release alleging fraudulent voting in five prisons. The FBI confirmed that both videos are not genuine and are efforts to mislead the public and undermine trust in the electoral system.
Federal, state, and local officials are warning U.S. voters against misinformation and encouraging them to refer to reliable sources for accurate information. As of 11:00 AM Eastern Time, authorities reported observing no significant or widespread disruptions in the voting process.
Cait Conley, a senior official at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), stated during a press conference on Tuesday that the agency is not tracking any incidents that could jeopardize the security of the election infrastructure. However, she noted that foreign actors might attempt to create false narratives, particularly targeting swing states.
On Monday, U.S. intelligence agencies predicted that foreign influence operations would increase during the election and the following weeks, particularly focusing on seven key battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Despite these concerns, Jen Easterly, the director of the U.S. cybersecurity agency, indicated that there is no evidence of activities that could directly affect today's election outcome.
Last week, U.S. intelligence pointed to Russia as the source of a fake video showing a Haitian immigrant allegedly voting multiple times in Georgia. Over the past weekend, the FBI warned the public about several other counterfeit videos. Russia consistently denies allegations of interference in U.S. political affairs.