Fake political donation and campaign scam

What the message looks like

How this scam works

The FBI describes four common versions. In a "campaign investment pool," scammers promise a guaranteed return on your contribution, supposedly paid out after the candidate wins, and encourage you to recruit friends to grow your share. Campaign donations are not investments. They don't grow in value and they aren't returned.

In what the FBI calls "ScamPACs," someone poses as a Political Action Committee, Super PAC or candidate committee they have no connection to, and keeps the money. Some scam PACs even appear registered, so the FBI suggests looking at their filings: unusually high spending on fundraising, consulting or administrative costs can be a warning sign.

The third version is a merchandise store that takes your order for hats, shirts or signs and never ships anything. The fourth is a text or email saying you are not registered to vote, with a link to a fake state registration page that collects personal information for identity theft.

The FBI also warns that scammers use AI tools to create realistic voices, images and messages that impersonate candidates, campaigns, government offices and people you trust. A voice or video that sounds right is not proof the request is real.

Red flags

• Any promise that a donation will pay you back, grow, or earn a share of a "pool."
• Requests to pay by gift card, crypto ATM, wire transfer or a payment app to a person's name.
• Pressure to recruit friends or family to increase your payout.
• A text or email saying you aren't registered to vote, with a link to fix it.
• A merch store you've never heard of, reached through an ad or text, with no clear connection to the official campaign site.

How to tell it’s fake

1. Type the candidate's or committee's official website into your browser yourself instead of tapping a link in a message.
2. Look up the committee on the Federal Election Commission website (fec.gov) and review its filings before you give. Remember the FBI's caution that registration alone doesn't prove a PAC is legitimate.
3. Check your voter registration at vote.gov or your state election office's official site, not a link in a text.
4. If a request sounds like an investment, it isn't a real campaign donation. Ask someone you trust or a scam expert for a second opinion before sending anything.

What to do if you clicked, paid or shared info

Don’t panic, and don’t blame yourself. These scams are built by professionals. Act quickly, one step at a time.

If you clicked a link or called back

• Close the page. If it asked you to sign in or create a password, change that password anywhere you reuse it.
• If you entered voter or personal details, check your registration directly at vote.gov or your state election office.

If you paid

• Contact your card issuer or bank right away and ask to dispute the charge or stop future payments.
• Report the scheme to the FBI at ic3.gov with the names, phone numbers, websites and payment details you have.

If you shared personal info, a password or a code

• If you shared your Social Security number, date of birth or driver's license details, consider a credit freeze and follow the steps at IdentityTheft.gov.
• Be ready for follow-up calls or texts that use what you shared; they are a common next step.

How Gmork Scam Guard would warn you

Scam Guard runs in Chrome and Edge on your computer, so it can't read texts on your phone. If you open a donation, merch or voter-registration link on your computer, it checks the site and can warn about very new or look-alike pages and risky payment requests. If an appeal still seems legit, ask a scam expert before you give.

Scam Guard can miss things, so the checks above still matter. See what it warns about and what it keeps private.

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Questions people ask

Is it a scam if a campaign texts me asking for money?

Not necessarily. Real campaigns text and email for donations all the time. Be careful when the message promises a return, asks for gift cards or crypto, or pushes you to a site you can't confirm. When in doubt, give through the official campaign website you look up yourself.

How can I check if a PAC is real?

Search the committee on fec.gov and review its registration and financial filings. The FBI notes some scam PACs may appear registered, and very high spending on fundraising, consulting or administrative costs can be a warning sign.

I got a text saying I'm not registered to vote. What should I do?

Don't use the link. Check your status at vote.gov or your state election office's official website. The FBI warns that fake registration pages are used to steal personal information.

Sources

• FBI IC3 PSA: Scammers Exploit 2026 U.S. Midterm Election to Perpetrate Multiple Fraud Schemes (Oct 15, 2026)
• Federal Election Commission: Committee search
• Vote.gov: Check your voter registration