The Commission on Elections on Thursday issued a warning against individuals who are attempting to impersonate its officials on various social media platforms.
Comelec advised the public to refrain from accepting Facebook friend requests of those pretending to be a commissioner or any key official of the poll body.
Filipinos are asked to report these dubious accounts “immediately” in violation of the platform’s community standards.
The same goes for fake Twitter accounts.
“Twitter profiles impersonating these key officials of the Commission must immediately be reported for violation of the platform’s impersonation policy,” the poll body said in a statement.
According to reports, the statement came after a fake Twitter account that used the name of Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo was created.
Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez called such move as “potentially part of a broader attempt to undermine the integrity of the elections.”
“Apart from closely coordinating with social media platforms to take down these profiles and accounts, the Comelec stands ready to take legal action against the perpetrators,” he said.
Some Comelec officials who are active on social media, particularly Twitter, include Jimenez himself and Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon.
Jimenez, who has a verified account, has more than 45,000 followers while Guanzon has more than 57,000 followers with over 6,000 tweets.
