ANIAPublic threat advisories
Latest
Oct 22New: ANIA-ADV-2026-015, deepfake testimony videos using real identities Oct 22Needle attack on West 47th Street: advisory opened, details pending Oct 22Business loan cold email campaign: advisory updated Oct 21Police interceptor listings: new states logged Oct 20Lakefront Estates, Glades County: advisory updated Oct 15Albuquerque North Valley site: watch opened

Threat advisories

Trend-level warnings for police, security committees and the public. No active subjects, no open referrals. Every advisory ends with what to do.

Updated Oct 22, 2026 · 10:00 MST
17:00 UTC
ANIA-ADV-2026-015Influence operationsNational
Published Oct 22, 2026Active watch

Deepfake "testimony" videos are borrowing real people's identities

SeverityElevated

Summary

On Oct 20, an X account created in September 2026 posted two videos that used a real former student's identity to level allegations at political candidate James Talarico. The former student told Lead Stories he does not appear in the videos and denied the claims.

Graphika assesses with high confidence that the Russia-linked Storm-1516 network produced the material, based on how it spread and what it looked like. That is a researcher assessment, not a published chain of command for this operation.

Who's affected

  • Candidates and campaigns
  • Private citizens whose photos and biographies sit on public profiles
  • Voters and newsrooms who meet the clips in replies and reshares

Indicators

  • A new account posting first-person "testimony"
  • Face and eye movement out of sync, little body movement
  • Name, photos and biography matching a real person's public profile
  • Fast pickup by accounts known to amplify past operations
  • AI search summaries repeating the claim as fact

What to do

  1. Don't reshare a first-person allegation video until the person in it has been reached directly.
  2. Check the account's creation date. A weeks-old account carrying a bombshell is the pattern.
  3. If your identity is used, capture URLs and screenshots with timestamps, then report to the platform and to law enforcement.
  4. Campaigns: preserve copies, publish a direct denial through a channel people can verify, and brief local press early.

Confidence

Impersonation
High. Firsthand denial.
Attribution
Researcher assessment
Takedown
Not established. One amplifier deleted its own posts.

Sources

  • Graphika, Oct 21
  • NewsGuard, Oct 21
  • Lead Stories interview, Oct 21
  • The New York Times, Oct 22

Earlier advisories

ANIA-ADV-2026-014ImpersonationMulti-state
Oct 21, 2026Active watch

Retired police interceptors are selling online with the police gear still on

Facebook Marketplace and enthusiast groups carry former patrol vehicles from California to Rhode Island, asking $3,000 to $21,500. Sellers call the lights "disconnected" while lightheads, push bars, spotlights and cages stay fitted. A listing alone does not show misuse. If you see one used on the road, report date, time, location, plate, VIN and photos to the local agency, or 911 in an emergency.

SeverityModerate
ANIA-ADV-2026-013Online hateFlorida
Oct 20, 2026Active watch

An online hate campaign hit a new Jewish neighborhood near Lake Okeechobee

After a campaign targeted new residents of Lakefront Estates in Glades County, FHP's Dave Kerner, state troopers and Sheriff David Hardin met residents on Oct 14 to hear their safety concerns. New communities should log posts with screenshots and dates and get them to the sheriff early.

SeverityModerate
ANIA-ADV-2026-012Street safetyNew York City
Oct 22, 2026Active watch

A Lubavitcher was attacked with a needle on West 47th Street

On Oct 21, a man from Crown Heights was attacked with a needle or syringe in the Diamond District. Police details are pending. This advisory will be updated as they are released.

SeverityElevated
ANIA-ADV-2026-011FraudNational
Oct 22, 2026Advisory

Business loan cold emails are running under rotating fake company names

Since August, about 19 sender domains, many on throwaway extensions, have pitched $100,000 to $500,000 lines of credit with no lender named. They dodge questions on entity and licensing and keep mailing after opt-outs. Ask for the lender's legal name and license before any call. Never fill out their forms.

SeverityLow
ANIA-ADV-2026-010Houses of worshipNew Mexico
Oct 15, 2026Active watch

Online calls to desecrate a planned Islamic center site in Albuquerque's North Valley

The risk window runs until groundbreaking. ANIA escalates on a named date, a plan, or someone describing being at the site. Anyone who sees those online should report to the Bernalillo County Sheriff.

SeverityModerate
ANIA-ADV-2026-009Online hateNY · NJ · WA · AZ · WV
Oct 19, 2026Advisory

Goyim Defense League flyer drops: what to do when one lands

Quiet since mid-October. If flyers turn up, photograph them where they lie, note time and place, handle them as little as possible and report to local police on the non-emergency line.

SeverityLow