How to spot and report election-season scam texts

What to do first

1. Do not tap the link.
2. Do not reply.
3. Do not send money, a code, or personal information. That includes your Social Security number, driver’s license number, and bank account.

A text can look official and still be fake. The FBI says scammers use the names, images, logos, and slogans of candidates. Its October 15, 2026 alert also says they use artificial intelligence tools to make voices, images, and written messages that impersonate candidates, campaigns, government offices, and people you trust.

Scam patterns the FBI has described

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center described these election scams in that alert:

• Voter registration texts and emails. The message says you are not registered to vote in your state and tells you to tap a link. The link goes to a fake registration page. The point is to steal personal information.
• Fake donations and scam PACs. Someone pretends to be a political action committee or a campaign and keeps the money. They are not with that committee.
• Merchandise that never arrives. A shop sells shirts or other items with a candidate’s logo and does not ship them.
• Campaign “investment pools.” You are promised that a donation will grow and be paid back after the candidate wins. You may be asked to recruit other people. The FBI says campaign donations are not an investment. They will not increase in value, and they will not be returned.

Check the real registration page yourself

Go to vote.gov and choose your state. Do this even if the text says you are not registered. Type the address yourself. Do not use the link in the text.

Vote.gov is the federal site for registering and for checking your registration. Rules for mail ballots, early voting, and voter ID depend on your state. The state page linked from vote.gov is the place to read them.

Voting facts that scam texts get wrong

The FBI says intentionally deceiving qualified voters to keep them from voting is voter suppression, and it is a federal crime. The bad information may be about the time, place, or manner of voting.

Two facts from the FBI’s election crimes page:

• You cannot vote by text. You also cannot vote online on Election Day. There are separate rules that let some military and overseas voters return an absentee ballot by email or fax. That is not “vote by text.”
• For general elections, Election Day is the first Tuesday after November 1. In 2026, that Tuesday is November 3.

If you need the date, time, or place for your own polling location, start at vote.gov. The FBI also points people to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission at eac.gov and to USA.gov’s how to vote page.

If the text asks for money

1. Do not pay from the text.
2. Remember that a real campaign donation is not an investment. It will not grow, and it will not be paid back.
3. Before you give money to a political committee, look up its registration and financial reports on the Federal Election Commission website. The FBI says some scam PACs still appear registered. It also says a committee that reports high expenses for fundraising, consulting, compliance, or other administrative costs may be a scam.
4. For merchandise, the FBI’s alert suggests checking reviews and complaints on BBB.org before you pay.

How to report it

Report an election-related scam. That includes a fake registration text, a fake donation pitch, and a shop that took your money and shipped nothing.

1. File a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. The form is at complaint.ic3.gov. You can also contact your local FBI field office.
2. Include as much of this as you have: the name of the person or company, a phone number, an address, an email address, websites, how they contacted you, what they said, and what you gave them. If you paid, include the payment method and the transaction details.
3. Save or print the complaint before you close the page. IC3 says that is the only time you can keep a copy. They will not email you one.
4. Do not wait for a status update from IC3. IC3 reviews complaints and may refer them to law enforcement. IC3 does not investigate complaints itself, and it says you will not hear back.

Report suspected election crimes, such as lies about when, where, or how to vote, to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, at tips.fbi.gov, or at your local FBI field office.

If you typed personal information into a fake page, or someone opened an account in your name, start a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov. You can also freeze your credit. Those steps are in How to freeze your credit for free.