(AP) – The FBI is warning that several fabricated videos are misusing his name and insignia to promote false claims about trouble at the polls.

A written statement purporting to be from the FBI urges the media and bloggers not to publish information about attacks at polling stations, saying that spreading stories of violence could lead to an increase in such incidents.

The FBI says this statement is false and did not come from the bureau.

A fabricated video impersonating the FBI and a federal government agency is urging schools to suspend classes until Nov. 11 because of the risk of violence, shootings and riots.

Another claims the FBI has received 9,000 complaints about malfunctioning voting machines.

The FBI says neither video came from the office and the content of both is fake.

The FBI has not identified who may be responsible for the fabricated videos, but it is the latest disinformation warning being spread and the latest example of the FBI highlighting the misuse of its name and insignia to promote false narratives.

Chinese accounts fuel Russian election disinformation

Russian disinformation aimed at undermining confidence in the US election received last-minute help from China, according to research by the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab.

Investigators identified several Russia-related videos that made false claims about the vote. Some of the videos mimicked legitimate US news outlets and featured fake audio clips of law enforcement officials purportedly acknowledging widespread voter fraud.

The researchers found that the videos were being amplified by a network of fake social media accounts originating in China. The accounts have spread pro-China propaganda in the past and only recently shifted their focus to the US election.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.