The much anticipated November elections are coming soon and there is heightened interest in these midterm elections and, of course, when people are interested in something, scammers take advantage of that interest to formulate scams related to that interest.  Today and for the succeeding two days I will be describing some election scams about which you should be aware.

Political Action Committees (PACs) are busy raising money to funnel to candidates and organizations trying to influence legislation.  Unfortunately, for the last twelve years scammers have been setting up phony PACs that promise to use your money on behalf of your favored candidate or cause, but instead keep the money for their own use.  Scammers are calling, emailing and texting people posing as legitimate PACS seeking contributions and even if you are on the federal Do Not Call List, you still are allowed by law to be contacted by phone call or text message by PACs.

TIPS

Legitimate PACs are required to file with the Federal Election Commission so before giving to any PAC you should check with the FEC to determine if the PAC has filed the necessary documents.  If it isn’t registered it is a scam.  Unfortunately, even if you find the PAC soliciting your donation is registered, scammers have registered phony PACs and falsify the financial documentation of their spending which they are required to file so merely because a PAC is registered does not mean that it is legitimate.  The Federal Election Commission (FEC) maintains a public database of registered PACs, including their treasurer, address, and financial reports.  You can confirm with the FEC’s records the proper address and other information for a particular PAC you may be considering, however, the FEC’s records can be difficult to decipher.  A better alternative is to confirm PAC information through OpenSecrets which provides independent information on PACs, including donors, expenditures, and political activities. It is often easier to understand than raw FEC filings. [opensecrets.org]

Use only the website listed in official PAC materials or FEC filings. Avoid links received through unsolicited texts, emails, or social media ads unless you independently verify the committee first.

Limiting your donations to well established PACs is a good policy to avoid being scammed.  Contributions requested through gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or peer-to-peer payment apps are good indications that the PAC is a scam.

Also, if a PAC doesn’t ask for your employment information and citizenship status it is a scam because legitimate PACs are barred from taking donations from federal contractors or foreign nationals, which is why legitimate PACs will always inquire about your job status and citizenship.

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