The FBI is warning the public about scammers exploiting the 2024 US General election to perpetrate multiple types of financial fraud schemes. These scams target victims across the United States and have previously exploited state and local elections for similar scams.
Scammers use the names, images, logos, and slogans of candidates to fraudulently solicit campaign contributions, sell merchandise (which is never sent to the purchaser), or steal victim personally identifiable information (PII) that can be used for other fraud.
- Campaign Investment Pool Scheme
- Victims are promised a return on their campaign contribution dollars if they invest in a pool to fund the candidate's campaign. The pool is guaranteed to grow and be returned to the victims after the candidate wins. Victims are also encouraged to recruit others to invest in the pool to increase their share of the payout.
- Scam Political Action Committees
- Victims are contacted by a scammer who misleads the victim to believe the scammer is affiliated with a legitimate Political Action Committee (PAC), such as a Super PAC or candidate’s campaign committee. The victim is duped into believing they are making a legal campaign contribution to a legitimate PAC but instead the scammers keep the funds for themselves and have no affiliation with the specified PAC.
- Merchandise Online Purchase Scam
- Victims are enticed to purchase merchandise with the logo of a political candidate though the company is not associated with the political campaign and does not ship the purchased product. This is a classic "non-shipment scam" or "non-delivery fraud" scheme taking advantage of victim's interest in the 2024 election.
- Scam Voter Registration
- Victims receive a text message or email stating they are not registered to vote in their state and encouraging them to click a link that takes the victim to a fraudulent state voter registration page. The victim may or may not already be registered to vote with their state. This scheme is a means to steal PII for identity theft and potentially to further target victims for additional scams.
Tips to Protect Yourself
- Be cautious when receiving any unsolicited calls, texts, emails, or surveys. Do not provide your personal information to persons you do not know. Do not click on unknown links.
- Donations to a political campaign will not act as an investment; they will not increase in value then be returned to you.
- Check the registration status of a Political Action or Party Committee on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website. Additional due diligence may be necessary because some scam PACs are known to be registered with the FEC.
- Research a company online before making any purchase by looking up customer reviews and BBB.org complaints.
- Check your voter registration status at www.vote.gov.
Report It
The FBI requests victims report these fraudulent or suspicious activities to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov as quickly as possible. Be sure to include as much information as possible:
- The name of the person or company that contacted you.
- Identifying information about the company and/or individuals who contacted you, including phone number, address, email address, and websites.
- Financial transaction information including method of payment.
- Describe your interaction with the individual, including how contact was initiated, the type of communication, what you were told or instructed, what you provided, and any other details pertinent to your complaint.
Victims aged 60 or over who need assistance with filing an IC3 complaint, can contact the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline, 1-833-FRAUD-11 (or 833-372-8311).