The FBI is warning of multiple scams that are taking advantage of the upcoming US elections to steal money and personal data from unsuspecting users.
Fraudsters take advantage of the increased legitimate activity around elections to deceive citizens in a variety of ways. Often, they impersonate real candidates and political movements.
“ The FBI is warning the public about fraudsters exploiting the 2024 U.S. general election to commit multiple types of financial fraud ,” the agency said in a statement
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“Scammers use candidates’ names, photos, logos, and slogans to solicit money for their supposed campaigns, sell items (that are never shipped to the buyer), or steal information (PII) that can be used for other scams,” the FBI adds.
The FBI observed four main types of fraud before the election:
Investment scams: Victims invest in a supposed fund that promises a payout after the candidate wins. The scammers also try to convince victims to invite others to increase their potential winnings.
Political Action Committees (PACs): Scammers pose as real PACs or campaign committees, tricking victims into making “donations.”
Merchandise: Victims are pressured into purchasing items related to a candidate's campaign (from deceptive websites). Essentially, victims pay to support their party but never receive the products.
Voter registration alerts: Victims receive fake alerts to re-register to vote by clicking on a link. In reality, however, they are taken to fake websites that steal personal information.
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The FBI has also identified several crypto scams using the names of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump to promote fake tokens.
To protect themselves from these scams ahead of the election, American citizens should be wary of unexpected communications and treat them with suspicion. They should also not share personal information or send money to strangers.
The FBI notes that donations to political campaigns are never investments and there can be no positive return from them.
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Earlier this month, OpenAI also said tools are increasingly being used to influence elections and related processes around the world.
See also: Meta: Collaboration with British banks to combat fraud
In a 54-page report, OpenAI said it has disrupted “more than 20 businesses and disinformation networks around the world that attempted to use its models.” Essentially, fake accounts were using tools to create misleading AI-powered articles and similar social media posts.
The rise of AI- generated content has led to serious concerns about election-related disinformation . The number of deepfakes is increasing by 900% each year, according to data from Clarity.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
