Fake social media posts being spread stating that Reform UK has won the Caerphilly by-election

Martin Shipton

Fake messages have been posted on social media stating that the Caerphilly by-election has been won by Reform UK while local people are still voting.

The messages on Facebook purport to come from Google and state: “Caerphilly by-election result. Reform UK has defeated Labour in a Senedd by-election.”

The fake announcement follows an increase in online abuse and misinformation in recent days.

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'Online abuse'

Yuliia Bond, a prominent member of Caerphilly’s Ukrainian community who has campaigned against Reform’s misinformation about the Welsh Government’s Nation of Sanctuary programme, most of which has been spent on resettling Ukrainian refugees, and not on asylum seekers as claimed persistently by Reform, wrote on Facebook: “I’ve been hit hard lately by waves of online abuse - comments, messages, even coordinated attacks that no normal person could send at that speed or volume. Let’s be honest: these are bots, or people being paid to harass and intimidate anyone who speaks up.

“This isn’t just random trolling - it’s organised online bullying. It’s meant to silence voices, distort conversations, and make people too tired or scared to keep going.

“Someone I know said it perfectly: this is systematic harassment. And the fact that social media giants allow it to happen - even profit from it - is disgraceful.

“To make things worse, we’re now seeing fake alerts and misinformation being pushed out - like a 'news update' claiming they had already won the Caerphilly by-election before voting even started. That’s not just wrong - it’s dangerous. It shows exactly how manipulation spreads through algorithms and unchecked AI systems.

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Targeting

She added: “I’ve even had to permanently close my LinkedIn because of the constant targeting. That’s how bad it’s gotten.

“But let me be clear - I’m not backing down.

“We must call this out for what it is: political interference, intimidation, and social manipulation on a massive scale. It’s time we demanded accountability from the tech giants and stopped letting them hide behind algorithms and excuses.

“We deserve online spaces built on truth, respect, and transparency - not lies, bots, and bullying.

“If you’ve seen anything similar - fake alerts, weird comments, or suspicious accounts - please share it. The more we expose this, the harder it becomes for them to hide.”

Others have suggested that the messages could dissuade people from going to polling stations to cast their vote.