Spoof London mayoral candidate websites send voters to Kremlin’s homepage

There are a number of misleading websites using London election candidate names which redirect to the Russian government website, The Independent has found.

Experts have warned it is “impossible to tell” who is behind these spoof websites as targeted candidates have expressed their outrage.

The Independent has found six different misleading websites in candidate names which lead to an English language version of the official Russian government website.

Liberal Democrat candidate Rob Blackie and Reform UK candidate Howard Cox have been targeted.

There were also three website URLs impersonating Social Democrat Party candidate Amy Gallagher.

It is unknown who is behind the purchase of the domains or if there are further domains that use London mayoral candidate names.

Two websites impersonating candidate Brian Rose also redirect to the Tory’s Susan Hall campaign site.

Stuart Fuller, chief commercial officer of Com Laude, a domain name management company, told The Independent: “Though it is impossible to tell who exactly is behind these websites, it is unlikely to be Russian Government interference.

“Most cybersquatting is driven by financial gain – as there are so many relevant domains for candidates to own, such as .uk and .london, it is very difficult for campaign managers to pre-emptively buy them all before a candidate stands.

“This creates the opportunity for malicious parties to cause substantial reputational damage, critical for the outcomes of elections, in a bid to sell these domains on to candidates for profit.

“Domains can be registered and put to use in a matter of minutes and most candidates don’t trademark their names, making them ideal targets for this kind of cybercrime.”

Lib Dem candidate Mr Blackie, told The Independent he found it “amusing” that URLs in his name were redirecting to the Kremlin website because in 2022 founded a website dedicated to bringing “independent news to people across Russia”.

“I am prepared for cyber attacks and smears from the Russian dictatorship,” he added.

Mr Fuller added it was difficult to outline the impact of the spoofs on the election, but “cybersquatting can lead to extensive reputational damage for candidates and potentially influence the outcome of an election”.

Candidates also have little power to have the websites removed unless the domain names are being used in a libellous or abusive way, according to Mr Fuller.

The Independent also found a website impersonating Sadiq Khan which redirected to an anti-Ulez blog.

Waqas Ejaz, a disinformation expert at the University of Oxford, warned people to “pay attention, be critical and skeptical of anything seen on social media”, particularly if the information prompts users to take action.

“Look for the cues, i.e., who posted this information? Is he reliable, identifiable, and have made enough information about him public? These small steps already can prove very helpful,” he told The Independent.

He added it is unlikely to be The Kremlin because Russian disinformation campaigns are usually “discreet”, which is not the case with the spoof websites.

Brian Rose, the independent candidate, whose spoof website directed users to the Ms Hall’s official campaign site has called on the Electoral Commission to take urgent action.

Mr Rose said: “This is an outrageous scam, hijacking my personal name and brand, and pointing potential supporters towards the Tory campaign website.

“Yet the rules around electoral interference don’t even appear to address this issue.

“Online is the new frontline for political battles but the law has failed to keep up – the Electoral Commission must act, and act urgently.

“It’s too late to deal with the fake London election websites, but there is a general election looming and there is clearly a threat to the integrity of that process from digital piracy of this sort.”

A Reform UK spokesperson said: "It's flattering that people are seeking to imitate our fantastic mayoral candidate Howard Cox and it is clearly a reflection of how well Reform is doing in the polls.

"We are making efforts to have the spoof website shut down.

"For those who want to visit Howard's real website, the address is cox4london.uk."

The Convervative Party did not respond when approached for comment.