The US is warning that Iran has been sending emails to US voters in an attempt to intimidate them at the polls.
US officials issued the warning on Wednesday after voters in Alaska, Arizona and Florida reported receiving emails with the subject line “Vote Trump or Else.”
The emails claim to come from the far-right organization the Proud Boys, and warn the recipient that all their personal information, including phone number and address, has fallen into the group’s hands. “You will vote for Trump on Election Day or we will come after you,” the messages threaten.
But according to US intelligence, the emails are actually the work of an Iranian group out “to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump,” said John Ratcliffe, the US Director of National Intelligence during a surprise news conference on Wednesday.
“Additionally, Iran is distributing other content to include a video that implies that individuals could cast fraudulent ballots, even from overseas,” he added. “This video, and any claims about such allegedly fraudulent ballots are not true. These actions are desperate attempts by desperate adversaries.”
However, Iran isn’t alone in attempting to manipulate US voters. Ratcliffe also claimed Russia has taken “specific actions” to influence public opinion during the elections. US intelligence has “confirmed” foreign actors with both countries have obtained some voter registration information, which explains how the Iranian group was able to message the US voters with the intimidating emails.
“This (voter registration) data can be used by foreign actors to communicate false information to registered voters that they hope will cause confusion, sow chaos, and undermine your confidence in American democracy,” he added.
During the short 8-minute press conference, Ratcliffe didn't go into specifics about how the US determined Iran's and Russia's involvement. But in response, the US is trying to combat the election interference attempts with the truth so that the public won’t fall for the scare tactics.
“Do not allow these efforts to have the intended effect,” Ratcliffe added. “If you receive an intimidating or manipulative email in your inbox, don’t be alarmed and do not spread it. This is not a partisan issue.”