Watch for Election Season Spam Calls and Texts
PHILADELPHIA — The final month of a campaign brings a familiar surge in political calls and text messages, and scammers know it. According to the YouMail Robocall Index, Americans received 3.9 billion robocalls in August alone, and volume typically climbs through the fall. Mixed in with legitimate campaign outreach are schemes built to steal money and personal information.
The Federal Trade Commission and election officials have warned this year that fraudsters are using artificial intelligence, spoofed phone numbers, and fake websites to make scams look legitimate, according to a Sept. 24 summary by the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. One common pattern is the phony political action committee. A caller or texter claims to raise money for a favorite candidate or cause, then pockets the donation. Before giving, verify the organization through the Federal Election Commission and consider donating directly through the candidate’s official website instead.
Be wary of high-pressure tactics and unusual payment demands. Legitimate political organizations do not ask for payment through gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency, according to the same guidance. An urgent text claiming a donation match expires at midnight may be real campaign marketing, but when it comes from an unfamiliar number it should be treated as suspicious until the sender is verified.
AI-powered calls are the fastest-growing threat. Fraudsters can clone the voice of a candidate or public official and use it to solicit donations or spread false voting information, according to the FTC warnings. The Federal Communications Commission has declared that AI-generated voices count as artificial under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, making voice-cloning robocalls illegal in many cases. Louisiana added its own rule this year requiring AI voice calls to disclose the use at the start of the call. If a call from a familiar voice asks for money or personal details, hang up and verify through an official source.
Bogus polls are another harvesting tool. A text promising to register your opinion can be a cover for collecting phone numbers, addresses, and political profiles that feed future scams. Never rely on information about voting procedures from an unsolicited call, text, or voicemail. If a message seems suspicious, confirm it through an official government election website or a trusted news source, and do not provide personal or financial information during an unexpected call.
How you respond matters. The Ohio Attorney General’s guidance warns that interacting with an unwanted robocall, even to request removal, can confirm that a number is valid. If the sender is unfamiliar or suspicious, the safest move is not to respond at all, since answering can signal there is an active person behind the number. For robotexts you know come from a legitimate campaign, federal rules let you revoke consent by replying with words such as STOP, QUIT, END, or OPT OUT, and the sender must honor it.
Know the basic rules, because political messages are not all illegal. Political texts sent using an autodialer require prior consent, according to the FCC, while manually sent texts do not face the same restriction. Political robocalls to landlines are allowed without prior consent but are limited to three calls within any 30-day period. Campaign calls and texts are exempt from the National Do Not Call Registry, so registration there will not stop them.
When unwanted political texts arrive, forward them to 7726, the reporting number carriers use for spam. Then verify the real campaigns you want to support by going to their official websites directly. A little verification takes a minute, while a scammed donation or stolen identity can cost far more.