FBI warns ahead of midterms: uncle scam wants voters to cough up cash and personal data
Election scams target voters
The FBI says Americans should watch for election-related fraud in the coming weeks. Scams may solicit donations or sell campaign merchandise, while others seek personal data that could be used in later fraud.
AI and deepfake technology may make some approaches more persuasive, the report says. Fraudsters can use these tools to imitate candidates and other officials.
Four schemes to watch
The FBI’s list includes campaign investment pools, which present themselves as opportunities to invest collectively in stocks or other assets that may rise in value. Another scheme asks people to give money to a fake political action committee, promising support for a favored party or candidate.
Fraudsters may also advertise campaign merchandise but never fulfill orders. Phishing, a familiar cyberattack, was ranked first in the report’s list and is also among the midterm-related threats.
Advice and related warnings
The FBI advises people to be cautious about political messages and verify organizations such as PACs through the government’s election commission website. The article says Texans may be especially wary of communications because computer problems recently caused a large backlog in voter registration applications.
Alicia Pierce, a spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State’s office, told USA Today the backlog involved tens of thousands of applications and had been cleared as of that week. Separately, X warned Wednesday evening that influence campaigns from Iran, Russia and China were targeting US voters and amplifying content across the political spectrum.
Key points
- The FBI warns that election-season scams may seek donations, merchandise payments or personal data.
- Fake investment pools, PACs, merchandise offers and phishing are among the threats listed.
- AI and deepfakes may help scammers imitate candidates and officials.
- The FBI advises verifying political organizations through the government’s election commission website.