US election 2020: FBI investigating calls urging 'tens of thousands of people' to stay at home on election day
First-time voter Alexis Castaneto gets help from her daughter Luna, 5, sealing her envelop at a temporary voting center at the CenturyLink Field Event Center for those needing to register or get assistance in the vote-by-mail state in Seattle, Washington
US election 2020: Marred by robocalls?
The United States is currently voting for its next president. The incumbent President Donald Trump is fighting against Democratic hopeful Joe Biden in the 2020 US elections, and now the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) is dealing with an unusual threat: robocalls.
A Homeland Security official was quoted by Reuters as saying that people across the country are receiving suspicious calls, urging them to stay at home on the day of election.
Even though the FBI did not explain the calls in detail, they claimed that they are currently looking into the matter.
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According to state and local officials in the United States, two separate automated call campaigns are currently reaching out Americans on their most important election of the century.
Reuters reported that the purpose of the calls still remains unclear, and so does its origins. In conversation with the news agency, experts claimed that one of the campaigns urged people to stay at home, without mentioning the ongoing US elections or voting at all.
"There's a little bit of confusion about this one across the industry," Giulia Porter, vice president of RoboKiller told Reuters.
RoboKiller tracks robocalls and telemarketers, and has been actively following the campaign.
US election 2020: Stay home?
The audio of one of these calls was shared by RoboKiller, and an automated female voice could be heard asking people to stay at home.
"Hello. This is just a test call. Time to stay home. Stay safe and stay home”, it said.
Porter added that the call had been made over millions of times in the last 11 months, but its attempt to reach more people jumped dramatically today, while the US votes to choose its next president.
In the list of top spam calls, the call is currently at #5 or #6, fluctuating from time to time.
Porter claimed that the call is being sent out at a very high volume. "This robocall is being sent at a very high volume," she said. According to Porter, at leasts “thousands or tens of thousands” of people had received such robocalls.
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