Election Scams 2024

Get ready because we’re about to enter a period of deep fake political ads and scams. Now that the U.S. Presidential election is ten weeks away, scammers are going to throw everything they can at us to get us to contribute our hard-earned money to a scam fundraising campaign or worse steal our data. And this election will be something we’ve never seen before because of the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Below are four common scams and ways to protect yourself. These things will show up in your emails, your texts, on TV, YouTube, and social media.

1. Voter registration scams

Be careful of phone solicitations or mobile apps offering to register you to vote. Downloading a voter registration app on your phone could include a malicious app, allowing cybercriminals to steal personal data such as payment information and login credentials. Some apps can suck your information out over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The more common problem, however, involves links to fake voter registration forms, which scammers send by phone, email or text. Those links may be phishing scams to collect personal data (such as your passwords and Social Security number) for or allow others to access your devices, according to Experian.

Ways to protect yourself:

►  If someone claims you’re not registered to vote and offers to register you by phone, hang up. You cannot register by phone, email or text. In all 50 states, you can only register to vote online, by mail, or in person at a local election office. 

►  The safest option is to register at a government location or do so by mail. If you do register online, do not use unsolicited links. 

►  Voter registration drives often occur at events such as festivals and farmers markets, and sometimes the filled-out forms are left on tables where anyone can see them, the Identity Theft Resource Center warns. A better option is to take a form, fill it out, and mail it or deliver it in person to an election office. 

2. Robocalls

Days before the January New Hampshire primary, as many as 25,000 Granite State residents received a robocall from what sounded like Joe Biden but was actually an AI-generated voice. The message: Don’t vote. “Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday,” the fake Biden said. In response, the Federal Communications Commission issued a declaratory ruling in February that made “voice cloning technology used in common robocall scams” illegal.

Despite the ruling, voters should remain on high alert for AI-generated audio, whether in phone calls or social media posts. 

Scammers could use fake audio for multiple purposes, from spreading misinformation to directing voters to a fraudulent donation site.

Ways to protect yourself:

►  Be suspicious of robocalls and confirm whether the information is accurate. If a robocall tells you that your polling place will be closed on Election Day, for example, don’t believe it. Instead, follow up with your local election office. 

►  If you receive a suspicious call from someone trying to influence your vote, hang up.

►  Never trust a robocall that directs you to donate.

►  Be skeptical of unexpected calls from someone claiming to be a politician or a celebrity. In recent months, scammers have released deep-fake videos of famous people such as Tom Hanks, Elon Musk, Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton for fraudulent product endorsements.

3. Donation scams

Cybercriminals also use fake audio to request campaign contributions. In some cases, a supposed candidate may ask for a donation and tell you to push a number on your phone, which directs you to a representative. Or an actual human may call, encouraging you to donate. You may also receive emails or texts with donation links; as with bogus voter registration links, donation links could also be phishing scams. 

Some solicitations come from fake political action committees (PACs). The FBI defines scam PACs as “fraudulent political action committees designed to reroute political contributions for personal gain,” which is a federal crime. They frequently seem credible and often employ high-pressure, emotional appeals. 

Ways to protect yourself:

►  If you want to donate to candidates, go to their certified site.

►  Don’t rely on Caller ID: Scammers can impersonate a political campaign phone number through a tactic known as spoofing.

►  Another reason to not answer calls: Cybercriminals only need a few seconds to record your voice and use AI to create a dialogue that could evade authentications with your financial institution or credit card company.

►  Visit the Federal Election Commission’s website and search to see if a PAC is registered. If it’s not, it’s not legal.

4. Fake surveys, petitions and polls

Opinion polls are almost as common as campaign rallies during election season, but be careful when participating in a survey or signing a petition. 

The process often seems harmless. Someone contacts you by phone, email, text or in person to answer a few questions. Or you might receive an urgent email — often featuring a well-known politician’s name and photo — asking you to sign a petition and make a small contribution. The problem, however, is when you’re asked to provide personal information, such as your birth date and email address. Some scammers may offer a gift card or other prize as an incentive to participate in the survey, and then request your Social Security number, home address and other info — including your credit card number to cover taxes and shipping costs for your prize. 

Ways to protect yourself:

►  A legitimate survey may ask how you plan to vote along with your political affiliation, and surveyors may request demographic information, such as age or race, notes Equifax’s ID Watchdog. But don’t share more specific information. Asking your age is standard, but they do not ask for your birth date. Decline to provide your name, address, email address, Social Security number or driver’s license number. 

►  As with other election scams, don’t click on survey links from unsolicited emails and texts. 

►  If someone conducting a survey or poll offers a prize, don’t participate. Real political polls rarely offer prizes for participation and none would ask for a credit card number.