SAC Cannon statement graphic

Although Election Day is November 3rd, the FBI’s work in securing the election begins well before and extends well beyond that date. In the weeks leading up to Election Day, the FBI has been particularly engaged in extensive preparations. As always, we are working closely with our federal, state, and local partners so everyone involved with safe-guarding the election has the information and resources necessary to respond in a timely manner to any violations that may arise.

“Americans can have confidence in our voting system and our election infrastructure. Although it would be extremely difficult for an adversary to meddle with vote count, the FBI remains vigilant in monitoring for threats and protecting voting infrastructure,” said Renn Cannon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “We are actively engaged with our partners and are prepared to investigate any potential election-related threat, whether it is vote fraud, voter suppression, or threats from cyber or foreign influence actors.”

Our preparations for the 2020 election take into account the current climate of the country. The FBI has a responsibility to plan for a host of potential scenarios. In each field office, one special agent and one intelligence analyst are designated as highly trained election crimes coordinators (ECCs). Together, the agent and analyst ECCs lead the field office’s efforts to assess allegations of federal election crime, investigate threats, gather intelligence, and serve as the lead points of contact for all federal election-related matters.

State v. Federal Election Responsibilities

While individual states have primary responsibility for conducting fair and free elections, the FBI plays an important role in protecting federal interests. Federal election crimes fall into three broad categories: campaign finance crimes, voter/ballot fraud, and civil rights violations.  

The FBI has jurisdiction to investigate election-related crimes when: 

• the ballot involves one or more federal candidates; 
• the alleged crime involves official misconduct by a polling or election official; 
• the alleged activity pertains to fraudulent voter registration; 
• non-U.S. citizens vote; and 
• interstate facilities are used to violate state elections laws in non-federal elections. 

The FBI does not investigate: 

• Voter facilitation activities (e.g., giving rides to polling places, offering time off to vote, or providing items of minimal value, like stamps, for absentee ballots); 
• Violations of state campaign finance laws—unless a misappropriation of campaign assets occurred through mail, wire, or other fraud covered by a federal statute; 
• Distributing inaccurate campaign literature or making false claims about an opponent; 
• Campaigning too close to the polls; or 
• A candidate trying to convince an opponent to withdraw from a race. 

How voters can help

If you suspect federal criminal activity, we ask that you report that information to your local FBI field office. In Oregon, you can call us at (503) 224-4181 or submit information online at tips.fbi.gov.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we may not know the results of the election on November 3. We join our state, local, and federal partners in asking the American people to be patient. The FBI is committed to ensuring the security and integrity of our elections, and this commitment does not end on Election Day. We encourage everyone to seek election and voting information from reliable sources, including official state and county elections officials.

Background

For three decades, the FBI has served as the primary investigative agency responsible for safeguarding election integrity and allegations of election crimes and election-related civil rights violations. Our teams of investigators remain vigilant in detecting and investigating anyone who tries to undermine our election process. We have the investigative experience and expertise, and we're committed to supporting our election security counterparts and protecting the American people throughout the 2020 election season.

Resources

Oregon voters are encouraged to go to www.fbi.gov/elections or the FBI’s social media platforms to find more resources as well as updated information about election security.

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TT - Spoofing - GRAPHIC - October 27, 2020

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. Last week, we talked about some ways that the FBI’s Protected Voices campaign can help you spot misinformation and disinformation this election season. 

Now, we are just one week away from election day, and we have some more tips on dealing with how bad actors can use spoofing to try to impact your vote. 

Foreign actors and cybercriminals use spoofed domains and email accounts to appear legitimate. Through them, the bad actors can disseminate false information; gather valid usernames, passwords, and email addresses; collect personally identifiable information; and spread malware, leading to further compromises and potential financial losses. 

Cyber actors set up spoofed domains with slightly altered characteristics of legitimate domains. A spoofed domain may feature an alternate spelling of a word ("electon"?instead of?"election"), or use?"[.]com"?in place of?"[.] gov." 

Members of the public could unknowingly visit spoofed domains while seeking information regarding the 2020 election. Additionally, cyber actors may use a seemingly legitimate email account to entice the public into clicking on malicious files or links. 

The FBI urges all Americans to critically evaluate the websites they visit and the emails sent to their personal and business email accounts and to seek out reliable and verified information on the election. 

Here are some other recommendations: 

• Verify the spelling of web addresses and email addresses that look trustworthy but may, in reality, just be close imitations of legitimate election websites. 

• Seek out information from trustworthy sources, verifying who produced the content and considering their intent. One option: the Election Assistance Commission (https://www.eac.gov). That group provides a vast amount of verified information and resources. 

• Ensure operating systems and applications are updated to the most current versions. 

• Update anti-malware and anti-virus software and conduct regular network scans. 

• Use strong two-factor authentication if possible, via biometrics (such as face or fingerprint scans), hardware tokens, or authentication apps. 

• Do not open e-mails or attachments from unknown individuals. Do not communicate with unsolicited e-mail senders. 

• Never provide personal information of any sort via e-mail.  

The FBI is responsible for investigating malign foreign influence operations and malicious cyber activity targeting election infrastructure and other U.S. democratic institutions.  

Report potential federal election crimes to the FBI. In Oregon, you can call us at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. 

Finally – learn more about how you can protect your vote with the FBI’s Protected Voices campaign. You can find more resources at www.fbi.gov/protectedvoices or www.fbi.gov/elections.

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TT - PV Misinformation - GRAPHIC

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. This week, reminders from the FBI’s Protected Voices campaign about misinformation and disinformation. 

We are just two weeks away from election day, and Oregonians have been receiving their ballots in the mail. As you are doing your research on the issues and the candidates, we encourage you to take a moment to consider whether the campaign information you are seeing online is truthful or the result of a foreign influence campaign. 

As foreign actors intensify their efforts to influence the outcome of the 2020 U.S. elections, they could use online journals and other platforms to advance and launder misinformation and disinformation to either denigrate or support specific candidates or political parties. Foreign actors could also target the U.S. elections by making claims of voter suppression, amplifying reports of real or alleged cyberattacks on election infrastructure, asserting voter or ballot fraud, and spreading other information intended to convince the public of the election's illegitimacy.  

One key factor to watch for: Is the information designed to create a strong emotional reaction? If so, that can indicate that the person or group posting the information is trying to manipulate you. Try to verify that information through independent means, such as a non-partisan fact checker. If you’re unable to verify the information, don’t click on the link or share the information further.? 

Here are some other ways to protect your vote: 

• Verify who produced the content and try to determine what that person’s intent is. Is the content trying to sow division? Erode trust in legitimate authorities? If so, that could be a red flag. 

• You should rely on state and local election officials as authoritative sources about how elections are conducted in their jurisdictions.  

• Make sure you verify through multiple reliable sources any reports about problems in voting or election results before sharing such information via social media or other avenues. 

• If appropriate, make use of in-platform tools offered by social media companies to report suspicious posts that appear to be spreading false or inconsistent information about election-related problems or results. 

The FBI is responsible for investigating malign foreign influence operations and malicious cyber activity targeting election infrastructure and other U.S. democratic institutions. Report potential federal election crimes—such as disinformation about the manner, time, or place of voting—to the FBI.?In Oregon, you can call us at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. 

Finally – learn more about how you can protect your vote with the FBI’s Protected Voices campaign. You can find more resources at www.fbi.gov/protectedvoices. 

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DCLA Award presentation - SAC Cannon and Antoinette Edwards

This week FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Portland Division Renn Cannon presented Antoinette Edwards with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for her service to youth in the Portland community.

Edwards, former director of Portland’s Office of Youth Violence Prevention, is one of 56 recipients from across the country chosen to receive the prestigious award. The FBI established the DCLA in 1990 to publicly acknowledge the achievements of those working to make a difference in their communities through the promotion of education and the prevention of crime and violence. 

Prior to her role with the Office of Youth Violence Prevention, the City of Portland recruited Edwards to become its Director of Public Safety and Peacekeeping. She also served as the first Director of Diversity for the American Red Cross in Oregon and Southwest Washington, as a Parent Coordinator at Self-Enhancement Inc., and as a Family Intervention Specialist with Multnomah County. Edwards has also led bi-monthly meetings of the Community Peace Collaboration, formerly called the Gang Violence Task Force. 

“I am honored to receive this award, especially since it is for the work I have truly loved, supporting both young people and members of our community to find reconciliation and peace. Moving forward I want to remind all of us that there is much work to do. Social justice belongs to us all,” said Edwards.

"It’s an honor for the FBI to recognize the amazing Antoinette Edwards,” said SAC Cannon. “Her relentless efforts to care for Portland’s youth and at-risk population has greatly impacted our community and will continue to do so for years to come.”

For more information on the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award, go to https://www.fbi.gov/about/community-outreach/dcla.

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TT - Cyber Security Month - GRAPHIC - October 13, 2020

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. Throughout October, we will be marking Cyber Security Awareness month with important reminders of how to stay safe online. This week: building a digital defense against some of the most common forms of cyber scams. 

There are 4.8 billion internet users around the world – that’s almost two thirds of the planet’s population. Those numbers represent a huge pool of potential victims to bad cyber actors. 

Those cyber actors have developed even more sophisticated methods and tools to steal information in 2020… but the overall schemes that they are using should sound pretty familiar. Two of the most common are ransomware and business email compromise 

“Ransomware” is a form of malware that locks your system. The bad guy demands payment to release the data. 

“Business Email Compromise” (BEC) has cost victims billions of dollars over the last five years. With BEC, the bad guy uses email to impersonate a business executive or employee to request fraudulent payments or to obtain access to payroll or W2 information. 

The scammer often uses “spoofing” or “phishing” to gain access to your devices when launching ransomware or BEC attacks.  

“Spoofing” is when someone disguises an email address, sender name, phone number, or website URL—often just by?changing one letter, symbol, or number—to convince you that you are interacting with a trusted source. It’s easy, after all, to fool people by changing a lower case “L” for a numeral “1”. 

“Phishing” schemes often use?spoofing techniques to lure you in and get you to click on a link or open an attachment that then loads malware onto your device or tricks you into giving up personal information. For instance, you might receive an email that appears to be from a legitimate business asking you to update or verify your personal information. Once you click on that link, you’re sent to a spoofed website that might look nearly identical to the real thing—but it isn’t. 

Here’s how to protect yourself. 

• Remember that companies generally don’t contact you to ask for your username or password. 

• Don’t click on anything in an unsolicited email or text message. Look up the company’s phone number on your own (don’t use the one a potential scammer is providing), and call the company to ask if the request is legitimate. 

• Carefully examine the email address, URL, and spelling used in any correspondence. 

• Be careful what you download. Never open an email attachment from someone you don’t know and be wary of attachments forwarded to you. 

• Set up multi-factor authentication?on any account that allows it. 

• Be careful with what information you share online or on social media. By openly sharing things such as pet names, schools you attended, names of family members, and your birthdate, you can give a scammer all the information he needs to guess your password or answer your security questions. 

If you have been victimized by a cyber fraud, be sure to file a report at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your FBI local office.

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TT - Dating Verification - October 6, 2020 - GRAPHIC

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. This week: building a digital defense when it comes to your love life and your wallet. 

We recently had an Oregon resident who reported an uncomfortable run-in with a scammer. The victim lost a small amount of money up front, but he risked a much larger loss if he hadn’t quickly figured out the whole thing was a scam. 

The person was using an online dating site and met someone of interest. Ms. Someone immediately worked to get the person off the dating site’s platform and into a private email conversation. 

She said she was concerned for her safety and just wanted to take a few extra precautions before they met in person. That sounds reasonable and prudent given the world we live in. But, it is what she asked for next that was of concern.  

The scammer sent the potential date links to several websites she said would verify his name and information. In order to access those sites, the victim needed to provide a credit card number. The scammer said there would be no charge to the card – it was just a way to verify the date’s identity. In the end, he did get charged, and several phishing websites ended up with his credit card number and personal information. 

Here are some ways to protect yourself if you are looking for love online: 

• Do use the site’s chat feature instead of giving your phone number or email.  

• Don’t use your last name when setting up your profile. Either use your first name and last initial or just initials.

• Don’t list your specific place of work.

• Don’t use the same username or profile picture ?across various public accounts.

• Don’t list your real date of birth.  

Finally, if a potential date wants you to pass along financial information – including credit card or bank account details – don’t do it. You will likely end up with a broken heart and an empty wallet. 

If you have been victimized by a cyber fraud, be sure to file a report at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your FBI local office.

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FBI Seeking Info Facebook Ad - Oct 2020

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person or people responsible for the death of Gunner Bailey last year. A passerby found his body about 50 feet off Tenino Road on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation on March 17, 2019. Bailey, age 31 at the time, was shot to death. 

The FBI and Warm Springs Police Department are jointly investigating this case.

As part of this publicity effort, the FBI has created a “Seeking Information” poster which is attached and can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/gunner-johnson-bailey and a Facebook ad (attached).

Anyone with information concerning this homicide is asked to contact the FBI in Bend at (541) 389-1202 during normal business hours, the FBI in Portland at (503) 224-4181 24 hours a day, or the Warm Springs Police Department at (541) 553-3272. Information may also be submitted online at https://tips.fbi.gov.

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JohnDoe42d

Note to media: Because investigators have no information as to the location of "John Doe 42," the FBI is asking every FBI field office across the country to issue the press release below.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seeking the public’s assistance with obtaining identifying information regarding an unknown male who may have critical information pertaining to the identity of a child victim in an ongoing sexual exploitation investigation. Photographs and an informational poster depicting the unknown individual, known only as John Doe 42, are being disseminated to the public and can be found online at the FBI website at https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap/unknown-individual---john-doe-42.

Initial video of the unidentified male, John Doe 42, shown with a child were first recorded by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in August of 2019. The EXIF data embedded within the video files indicated that the files were produced in October of 2015.

John Doe 42 is described as a White male with gray hair and wearing a red and black plaid shirt. He is heard speaking English in the video. Due to the age of the images, it is possible that the individual’s appearance may have changed over the years.

Anyone with information to provide should submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov or call the FBI’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). The public is reminded no charges have been filed in this case and the pictured individual is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

This individual is being sought as part of the FBI’s Operation Rescue Me and Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) initiatives, both of which represent strategic partnerships between the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Operation Rescue Me focuses on utilizing clues obtained through in-depth image analysis to identify the child victims depicted in child exploitation material, while ECAP seeks national and international media exposure of unknown adults (referred to as John/Jane Does) who visibly display their faces and/or other distinguishing characteristics in association with child pornography images.

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