Fedpol investigates fake government energy poster campaign

This is a fake poster by the government encouraging people to snitch on their neighbours if they heat their homes above 19 degrees celsius. Twitter/@marcowenjones

The Swiss Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) has launched an investigation into a fake government poster campaign encouraging people to report their neighbours if they heat their homes above a certain temperature. Images of the fake posters are believed to have started circulating on social networks through Russian channels.

The poster, which bears the official federal government logo and shows a young woman on the phone, reads: “Does your neighbour heat their home over 19 degrees Celsius? Let us know.”

It includes the official telephone number of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, with a promise of a CHF200 ($208) reward.

Swiss public television RSIExternal link reported that Fedpol has launched an investigation into the fake poster after receiving complaints about the misuse of the federal government logo.

The federal energy office has also posted a note on its website confirming that the federal government has nothing to do with the posters. “There are neither such posters from the federal government nor corresponding calls, it is obviously a matter of manipulation,” it said. 

Meanwhile, social media users including several well-known “debunkers” have been trying to identify the origins of the poster. Some suspect it started circulating by Russian channels via the Telegram chat service.

Thread 1] Quick thread on some fake news being shared. Some of you may have seen this poster being shared, including by @georgegallowayExternal link. A poster allegedly from Switzerland with a caption stating that there is a 200 francs reward for people who 'snitch' on their neighbours who pic.twitter.com/inZDaqIqfMExternal link

— Marc Owen Jones (@marcowenjones) September 13, 2022External link

As Reuters reported, Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor at Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar, suspects that it could have links to Russian propaganda seeking to spread fears about rising energy costs following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“It’s a photoshopped image, and quite a good one,” Jones, who works on how social media has been abused to spread disinformation, tweeted.

According to RSI, Belarus news agency Belta reported on the fake government appeal on its Telegram channel on September 10.