The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has alerted Americans to two election videos in which the agency’s name and insignia are used, telling people the videos are fake.
The FBI issued a press release on Election Day, November 5, saying: “The FBI was made aware of two instances of its name and insignia being misused in promoting false narratives surrounding the election.”
The press release goes on to say that the videos include a fabricated news clip that “reports falsely that the FBI purportedly stated that Americans should ‘vote remotely’ due to a high terror threat at polling stations.
“This video is not authentic and does not accurately represent the current threat posture or polling location safety,” the release said.
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The press release also said that the second fake video contains a “fabricated FBI press release.” The fake release alleges that the management in five prisons across the swing states of Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona “rigged inmate voting and colluded with a political party.”
Not only is this video false, but inmate voting is already completely illegal in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona, as currently incarcerated inmates do not have the right to vote in any of those states.
The FBI also said: “Election integrity is among our highest priorities, and the FBI is working closely with state and local law enforcement partners to respond to election threats and protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote.”
The alert comes after the FBI released other statements prior to the election that warned of election interference online, particularly from foreign actors.
On Monday, the FBI issued a statement, along with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), warning of threats to election integrity not only on Election Day but for weeks following the election.
The three security groups said: “Influence actors linked to Russia in particular are manufacturing videos and creating fake articles to undermine the legitimacy of the election.
“In light of continued influence efforts by foreign adversaries and the increasing volume of inauthentic content online, CISA recommends voters seek out information from trusted, official sources, in particular, state and local election officials.”
The FBI did not say whom they believe produced the two current clips.
Per the FBI, if you suspect criminal activity, you can report it to state or local law enforcement or contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or send in a tip online to tips.fbi.gov.
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