Fake letters claim web has worked out German votes

BERLIN: German prosecutors said on Wednesday they were investigating letters telling voters that their political preferences had already been worked out from their internet postings and there was no need to go to the polls on Sunday.

Some of the fake letters carried the logo of federal election authorities, meaning the sender could be guilty of forgery, said the state prosecutor’s office in Wiesbaden.

The messages were crude and “it would be surprising if people fell for it”, a spokesman for the federal election director said. “Still, it’s frustrating.” There was no indication of who was behind the letters, and they appeared to be based on a joke in a German magazine.

But German government officials and security experts have been on the lookout for evidence of meddling ahead of the Sept 24 national vote, following allegations of Russian interference in polls in the US and France.

German computer magazine c’t carried a satirical article this month in which a fictional voter is told that their vote will be automatically cast for a certain party given their behaviour on the internet and credit card charges.

The actual letters sent to German voters suggested the voters would cast their ballots for the “Party of Bible-abiding Christians” or the “Basic Wage Coalition,” RND newspapers reported. – Reuters