Here’s a pitch I hope you never hear: Chip in $500 for your favorite candidate, and if they win on Nov. 3, you’ll get it back with a profit. Bring in a few friends, and your cut gets bigger.
It sounds like a fundraiser. It’s a con. And it’s one of four midterm schemes the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center spelled out in a public service announcement.
The playbook is simple. Crooks borrow the names, faces, logos and slogans of real candidates, then use that borrowed trust to take your money, your personal information or both. The FBI also warns they’re using artificial intelligence to fake realistic candidate voices, photos and messages.
I’ve spent decades exposing scams, and here’s what I’ve learned: These schemes don’t care which party you back.
They can target Democrats, Republicans and independents alike, because all a scammer needs is someone who cares about an election. With Election Day almost here, here’s how each one works, the tell that gives it away, and a two-minute check that can save you.
1. The campaign ‘investment pool’
How it works: Someone invites you to put money into a pool tied to a candidate. You’re promised a guaranteed return if that candidate wins. Then comes the push to sign up others so your share of the winnings grows.
The tell: Two words. “Guaranteed return.” A campaign contribution is a gift to a political cause, period. As the FBI puts it, donations aren’t investments — they don’t grow in value, and you don’t get them back.
If that recruit-your-friends part sounds familiar, it should. Any deal where your payout depends on signing up more people is a red flag, whether it’s wrapped in a flag, a cause or a multi-level marketing pitch.
The two-minute check: Ask yourself one question. Is anybody promising me money back? If the answer’s yes, walk away. If you want to give, go straight to the candidate’s official campaign website and donate there.
2. The fake PAC, or ‘ScamPAC’
How it works: You get a call, text or email asking you to give to a political action committee, a super PAC or a candidate’s campaign committee. It looks legitimate.
It isn’t. The people behind it have no connection to any real committee, and your money goes straight into their pockets.
The tell: Pressure, plus contact info you can’t trace back to the group. The FBI’s advice is to confirm that any phone number, email address or website that reaches you out of the blue really belongs to the outfit it claims to be.
The two-minute check: Look the committee up on the Federal Election Commission’s committee search page. You can filter committees by type, party, location and treasurer, find the one asking for your money, and read its financial filings.
Just don’t stop at finding the name. The FBI cautions that a fake committee can look registered, so a listing alone doesn’t prove your money’s going where you think.
While you’re there, look at where the money goes. The FBI says a PAC that reports heavy spending on fundraising, consulting, compliance and other overhead may be a warning sign. If most of each dollar pays for the next fundraising pitch, your $50 isn’t doing what you think.
A quick nudge — when it comes to money, the best day to get smart was 20 years ago. The second-best is today. Sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter and start now. Takes 10 seconds, costs nothing, and could change your retirement.
3. Campaign merchandise that never shows up
How it works: You see an ad for a hat, T-shirt, flag or yard sign with your candidate’s name on it. You pay. Nothing arrives. The FBI calls it a classic case of non-delivery fraud.
The tell: A website you’ve never heard of, prices that seem too low, and pressure to buy now while supplies last. The “store” may exist only to cash in on the election.
The two-minute check: Before you buy, search the seller’s name along with words like “complaint” or “scam.” The FBI suggests checking reviews and complaints at BBB.org. Better yet, buy from the candidate’s official campaign site.
Then pay with a credit card, not a debit card, payment app or wire. Under the federal Fair Credit Billing Act, you can dispute a credit card charge for items that weren’t delivered as agreed, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Mind the clock. The FTC says your dispute letter has to land at the card issuer no later than 60 days after it sent you the first statement with the bad charge.
And if an order is late from a real seller, federal rules may let you cancel for a full refund.
4. The ‘you’re not registered to vote’ text
How it works: A text or email warns that you aren’t registered to vote in your state. It includes a link to fix the problem. The link leads to a phony state registration page built to collect your personal information.
The tell: Urgency, a link and a request for sensitive details.
Never hand over your Social Security number or bank information because a text told you to. The FBI’s advice is blunt: Don’t give personal information to strangers and don’t click unknown links.
And an election-scam fact sheet shared by the National Association of Secretaries of State flags another tell: anyone asking you to pay to finish your registration.
The two-minute check: Don’t click. Go to vote.gov, the federal government’s official voter registration site, and follow it to your state’s own page to check your status. If you’re still unsure, call your local election office using a number you look up yourself.
If you already typed your Social Security number, birthdate or bank details into one of these pages, act fast: Assume a thief has them. You can compare identity protection options here, and it’s smart to watch your bank, credit and even medical records for signs of identity theft.
Watch for the fake candidate voice, too
Any of these four scams can now come with a convincing twist. The FBI says crooks are using AI to churn out lifelike fake voices, pictures and texts that pose as candidates, campaigns, government agencies and even people you trust.
So a voicemail that sounds exactly like a senator asking for an urgent donation proves nothing. Neither does a slick video. Ignore both, and only give through the campaign’s official website. I’ve written before about why AI is making scams harder to spot, and election season just hands scammers another script.
How to report an election scam
If you’ve been targeted — or you’ve already lost money — the FBI wants to hear about it. File a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, or contact your local FBI field office.
The more detail, the better. The FBI asks for:
- Who reached out to you, by name — a person, a company or both
- Any phone numbers, email addresses, mailing addresses and websites involved
- How you paid and the details of any transaction
- How the contact started, what you were told, and what you handed over
For a scam text, forward a copy to 7726, which spells SPAM on your keypad. The FTC recommends this step, and the FCC says it reports the message to your wireless carrier.
One last thought. Supporting a candidate with your time or money is your right, whatever your politics. Just make sure your dollars land with the campaign you picked, not with a crook who borrowed its name.
Add a Comment