Americans are being urged to exercise extreme caution with unsolicited political fundraising requests, as a significant portion of these solicitations are believed to be scams, according to an FBI warning and cybersecurity experts. These fraudulent operations often target potential donors with promises to support specific candidates or causes, but ultimately divert funds away from legitimate campaigns and can lead to the theft of personal information.
Cybersecurity expert James Knight estimates that as many as 99 percent of political fundraising messages, particularly those received via text or email, originate from groups that do not forward the donations to the intended candidates. Knight advises against clicking on any links within these messages, including "unsubscribe" links, as they can lead to malicious websites designed to compromise computer security or steal data.
The FBI alert corroborates these concerns, noting that scammers may offer campaign merchandise that is never delivered or collect voter information for fraudulent purposes. These operations often masquerade as legitimate political action committees (PACs) by registering with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), giving them an official appearance.
However, investigations have revealed that many of these "ScamPACs" spend a substantial majority of their collected funds on fundraising, consulting fees, salaries, and operational overhead, with very little, sometimes less than one percent, reaching the candidates or causes they claim to support. For example, a Reuters investigation found that a network of 31 PACs between 2017 and 2019 directed about 82 percent of their income to fundraising companies, while OpenSecrets identified 86 potential scam PACs in the 2022 cycle that spent over $100,000 each, with at least half of their reported expenses classified as fundraising costs.
Recent advancements in artificial intelligence have made these scams more sophisticated and harder to detect. AI can be used to impersonate government agencies, clone candidate voices, or create messages that appear to come from trusted campaigns, removing common indicators of fraud like spelling errors. Therefore, a convincing message is no longer a reliable sign of legitimacy.
To avoid falling victim, Knight recommends that individuals considering donating to a campaign or fundraising group should research the entity on the FEC's website (FEC.gov). This resource allows donors to review registered committees' financial activities, including their fundraising income, spending patterns, and the support they provide to candidates. It can also help identify a candidate's official campaign committee.
Beyond donation solicitations, the FBI also warns of "campaign investment pool schemes." These scams falsely promise victims guaranteed returns on donations invested in a candidate's campaign, with payouts contingent on the candidate winning. The FBI stresses that campaign donations are not investments and will not increase in value or be returned.
Victims who fall for these scams and provide their personal information may face further risks, including increased unsolicited communications from other fraudulent groups, as donor data is often sold and shared. Knight advises ignoring suspicious calls, blocking numbers, deleting texts, and sending emails to spam folders without clicking any links. The FBI also cautions donors to scrutinize PACs with unusually high spending on fundraising, consulting, and administrative costs. As a general rule, campaign donations are not investments and carry inherent risks, with no guarantee of return or impact on election outcomes.