Three weeks before the 2026 US midterm election, the FBI has issued a public service announcement warning that scammers are impersonating candidates, campaigns, and government entities. The bureau says fraudsters are using AI tools to create convincing voice clones, images, and written messages, making it harder for voters to spot the deception.
The scams take several forms. Some solicit fake campaign contributions or sell merchandise that is never delivered. Others promise a guaranteed return on donations through a 'candidate campaign pool' that supposedly pays out after a win. The FBI also describes a voter registration trick: a text or email claims the recipient is not registered and links to a fake state page designed to harvest personally identifiable information (PII) for identity theft and further fraud.
The FBI reminds the public that campaign donations are not investments and will not increase in value or be returned. Max Gannon, a cyber intelligence manager at Cofense, advises that when a message pressures you to act or provokes a strong reaction, you should pause and verify it through a source you find yourself, such as the Federal Election Commission website or vote.gov, rather than using any link or contact details in the original message.
In related election security news, X recently suspended more than 13,000 accounts linked to suspected foreign influence operations from Iran, Russia, and China targeting US political conversation. Separately, the UK has announced plans for a National Centre for Information Defence to detect and disrupt information attacks by hostile states.