Voters in several US were targeted yesterday by robocalls urging them to stay home or vote on November 4, the last day of the election, due to massive turnouts at polling stations. US citizens and authorities have reported robocalls in nine states, including New York, Florida, Kansas, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Iowa.
In response to the reports, state officials have taken to social media to warn citizens about the misinformation being spread by robocalls, urging voters to cast their ballots by 8 p.m. ET on the last day of voting. Officials are also advising citizens not to follow the robocalls' advice, as they are trying to mislead them by tricking them into voting after the polls have closed.
But while some robocalls attempted to trick voters into showing up to vote on the wrong day, the vast majority simply tried to convince voters to stay home. The message, which did not mention the voting process in an apparent attempt to avoid a potential law enforcement investigation, said: “This is just a test call. Time to stay home. Stay safe and stay home.”According to the Washington Post, more than 10 million such robocalls were recorded yesterday.
U.S. officials, including the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), have said they are aware of the campaigns and are looking into the issue. However, they do not appear to be concerned. Additionally, officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have said that robocall campaigns occur every time there is an election in the U.S., so this is not an unprecedented phenomenon. Some of these campaigns even began before the voting process.
According to a report by the news agency “Reuters”, the FBI is investigating a new wave of robocall campaigns targeting American voters. Also, the FBI, CISA and other federal agencies have stated that despite the fact that there are some malfunctions, the electoral process has not been marred by cybersecurity.
