Fake Letters Mislead Germans About Web-Based Voting Results, Reports Reuters

BERLIN (Reuters) – German prosecutors announced on Wednesday that they are investigating letters sent to voters claiming their political preferences had already been determined based on their online activities, suggesting they need not participate in the upcoming elections on Sunday.

Some of the deceptive letters featured the logo of federal election authorities, potentially implicating the sender in forgery, according to the state prosecutor’s office in Wiesbaden.

The messages were described as crude, with a spokesperson for the federal election director expressing surprise that anyone might be misled by them. "Still, it’s frustrating," the spokesperson added.

It remains unclear who orchestrated the letters, but initial findings suggest they were inspired by a recent satirical piece in a German magazine.

German government officials and security experts have been vigilant for signs of interference in the lead-up to the September 24 national election, particularly due to past allegations of meddling in elections in the United States and France.

A satirical article published this month by a German computer magazine featured a fictional scenario in which a voter was informed their vote would be automatically assigned to a particular party based on their online behavior and credit card transactions.

The actual letters dispatched to voters hinted that recipients would vote for the "Party of Bible-abiding Christians" or the "Basic Wage Coalition," as reported by various newspapers.

The investigation was initiated following a complaint from the German federal election director’s office in Wiesbaden. A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office commented, "The letters appeared genuine, which is why we are looking into potential forgery."