A sophisticated campaign by Russian actors seeking to manipulate the 2016 U.S. presidential election through social media included stealing the identities of Americans and using accounts at PayPal to aid their effort.
"Defendants and their co-conspirators also obtained, and attempted to obtain, false identification documents to use as proof of identity in connection with maintaining accounts and purchasing advertisements on social media sites," according to an indictment issued Friday by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
The indictment described a multiyear effort by Russia's Internet Research Agency and others to shape American opinions, including by impersonating Americans on Facebook, Instagram, Google's YouTube and Twitter.
Mueller described a sophistication beyond what Congress had understood about the Russian meddling in the election. At hearings three months ago, Facebook Inc. was criticized for not quickly becoming suspicious of U.S. election ads purchased in Russian rubles. But with stolen American identities and PayPal accounts, the ads would be unlikely to trigger any alarm, and the extent of the campaign may still not be fully known.
PayPal representatives weren't immediately available for comment.
The indictment alleges the Russian-backed IRA opened U.S. bank accounts with Social Security numbers and identities they'd stolen from Americans. They bought stolen bank account numbers online as well, using them to bypass PayPal's security system and open accounts, with which they bought Facebook ads.
PayPal accounts were used for general expenses, the purchase of advertisements and to buy buttons, flags and banners for the political rallies organized through the social media scheme, according to the indictment.
