The FBI warned this week that multiple types of election-related fraud schemes are targeting Americans that are voting, with the election being less than a week away.
On Tuesday, the bureau stated that the scammers use slogans, names, and images of candidates running for an office position to steal victims’ personal information, to sell merchandise, and to fraudulently solicit campaign contributions.
The law enforcement agency pointed out four ways voters could fall victim to election-related scams. Voters could be deceived into submitting funds to a joint pool of money to support a candidate. If the candidate wins, they have been promised money in return.
Americans could also be fooled into thinking they are donating money to a real PAC, when in reality, the scammer who contacted them is not connected to the claimed organization, keeping the funds for themselves.
Additionally, one can be scammed into buying merchandise with the logo of the candidate they support, but the company selling it is not actually involved with the campaign, and the item does not end up being shipped to the customer, the FBI continued.
Finally, the bureau highlighted victims receiving emails or text messages alleging that they are not registered to vote in the state and telling them to follow a link to a fraudulent page meant to steal personally identifiable information.
For more protection, the FBI said voters should be “cautious” when getting unsolicited calls, texts, and emails. They advised Americans to not click on any unknown links. The bureau also said that voters should check the status of the PACs on the Federal Election Commission website before donating any money.
Anyone can check their voter registration status at www.vote.gov.
