Swiss police launch probe into fake government energy poster campaign

By Omer Faruk Yildiz

GENEVA (AA) - Swiss police have launched an investigation into fake online images of government posters encouraging people to report their neighbors if they heat their homes above a certain temperature this winter, when an energy crunch is expected to hit Western Europe linked to Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The Swiss Federal Office of Police said the posters, which say that 200 Swiss francs ($208) will be awarded to those who report their neighbors if they heat their homes above 19C (66.2F) during the winter, are "misleading" and "fake.”

It noted that after receiving complaints, an investigation was launched into who circulated the images on social media.

The images, which have been spotted on social media since Sept. 10, show a poster that says: "Does your neighbor have their heating set at more than 19C? Please contact us." The poster also displays the official telephone number of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy.

Anadolu Agency’s fact-check line contacted the Swiss Energy Ministry, which confirmed that it has nothing to do with the posters.

The Swiss newspaper Blick claimed that the images were first circulated by Russian sources on Telegram and then the Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA), Belarus' largest news agency, reported on the posters.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan