FBI warns against two fake videos as officials combat election disinformation

WASHINGTON: The FBI on Tuesday warned Americans about two new fake videos falsely citing terror threats and voter fraud, the latest in a string of disinformation that officials expect will intensify as voters head to the polls on Election Day and in the weeks afterward.

One fabricated video purporting to be from the federal law enforcement agency falsely cited a high terror threat and urged Americans to “vote remotely,” while another video includes a fake press release alleging to be from the agency and alleging rigged voting among inmates in five prisons.

Both are “not authentic,” the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement, “Attempts to deceive the public with false content about FBI threat assessments and activities aim to undermine our democratic process and erode trust in the electoral system.”

Federal, state and local officials have been warning Americans about attempts to undermine the election with wrong information and have urged U.S. voters to seek out credible information from reliable sources.

U.S. intelligence agencies have also said this year’s contest faces an unprecedented disinformation campaign from foreign adversaries and that Russia and others aim to fan divisive narratives amid the election, an accusation Russia has denied.

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On Monday, U.S. intelligence agencies said they expect overseas influence operations to “intensify through election day and in the coming weeks,” particularly in the seven key battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Still, U.S. cybersecurity agency director Jen Easterly has said her department has not seen evidence of any activity that could directly impact the outcome of Tuesday’s election, despite the surge in disinformation.

U.S. intelligence agencies last week blamed Russia for a false video purporting to show a Haitian immigrant claiming to have voted multiple times in the U.S. state of Georgia. Over the weekend, the FBI warned about several other fake videos.