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Overview
As the 2024 U.S. General Election approaches, the FBI has issued a warning about election-themed scams targeting voters across the country. These schemes, detailed in a recent FBI public service announcement, range from fake campaign investment opportunities to fraudulent PAC solicitations, exploiting citizens’ trust in the electoral process and their desire to support candidates.
Additionally, F‑Secure’s SMS Scam Protection feature has observed a rise in election-themed text messages linked to these scams. The FBI advises the public to stay alert, as these scams pose both financial risk and threats to personal information security.
The scams highlighted by the FBI
With rising political engagement during election season, the risk of scams targeting voters’ enthusiasm also increases. The FBI has highlighted several distinct scams associated with the 2024 election.
Campaign investment pool scheme
Fraudsters promote the idea that campaign contributions can act as investments with guaranteed returns if a particular candidate wins. Victims are misled into thinking that their contributions will grow and be returned post-election, provided they recruit others to increase their share of the “payout.” However, campaign donations do not yield returns, and this scheme is entirely fraudulent.
Fake Political Action Committees (PACs)
Scammers masquerade as representatives of legitimate Political Action Committees (PACs), misleading victims into making what they believe are legal contributions. In reality, these imposters are not affiliated with any legitimate PAC, and any contributions are pocketed by the scammers.
Merchandise purchase scams
Capitalizing on political enthusiasm, scammers entice voters to purchase merchandise displaying candidate logos or campaign messages. Victims pay for the products, but the items are never delivered. This “fake shop fraud” is a prevalent scam that leverages voters' desire to show their support through campaign-themed merchandise.
Fraudulent voter registration scams
Some scams target voters directly through text messages or emails claiming they are not registered to vote. The messages include fraudulent links to fake state registration pages, apparently to help voters register. These sites are designed to steal personal information, which can be used for identity theft or other types of fraud.
How to stay safe against voting-themed scams
The FBI advises voters to remain cautious of unsolicited communications and to avoid clicking on unfamiliar links or providing personal information to unknown parties. As a rule, political donations should not be expected to yield a return, as they are contributions, not investments. Voters can confirm the legitimacy of PACs through the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website and verify their registration status through official state channels or at www.vote.gov.
Precautions and tips to avoid falling victim
Verify: Always check PAC registration on the FEC website and verify company legitimacy by checking customer reviews on sites like BBB.org before making purchases. Additionally, F‑Secure offers security tools to help users stay protected, including the F‑Secure Link Checker, which verifies if a link is safe to open; the Online Shopping Checker, which assesses whether an online store is legitimate or fraudulent; and the Text Message Checker, which identifies potential scam SMS messages.
Research: Ensure any voter registration check is conducted through official state websites or www.vote.gov to avoid falling for fake registration sites. Beware of urgent donations or requests that pressure into donating immediately. Verify and use official candidate campaign for donations. Always ensure the platform is a well-known donation site or trusted funding source before making any payments.
Report suspicious activity: If you believe you’ve encountered an election scam, report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov. Victims aged 60 or over can also reach out to the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (or 833-372-8311).
Remaining vigilant and informed is essential to protecting personal finances and sensitive information amid the excitement of the 2024 election.
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