A text says you are not registered to vote and gives you a link to fix it. On October 15, 2026, the FBI warned that messages like this are part of several scams built around the November 2026 midterm election. This short video walks through the four schemes, how AI voices fit in, and what to check before you pay, donate or click. It is information, not legal advice, and it takes no position on any candidate, party or campaign.
Read the full guide: Election Scam Texts 2026: What the FBI Warns
What the FBI warned
In its public service announcement I-101526-3-PSA, the FBI says scammers could exploit the 2026 midterm election to commit financial fraud. Scammers use candidates' names, images, logos and slogans to ask for fake contributions, sell merchandise that never arrives, or steal personal information.
The four schemes
The FBI names four. In the campaign investment pool, scammers promise a guaranteed return on a campaign contribution that supposedly pays out after the candidate wins. In the ScamPAC scheme, people think they are donating to a legitimate political action committee, but the scammers have no tie to it and keep the money.
The third is political merchandise that is never shipped. The fourth is the voter registration text or email: it says you are not registered and links to a fake state voter registration page. The FBI says that page is a way to steal personal information for identity theft, and it can lead to more fraud attempts.
AI voices and messages
The same alert says scammers use AI tools to create highly realistic voices, images and written messages that impersonate candidates, campaigns, government entities and trusted contacts. That realism makes the schemes harder to detect and raises the chance of losing money or exposing personal information.
This is not new. In an earlier alert from December 3, 2024 (I-120324-PSA), the FBI said criminals can use AI-generated audio to impersonate well-known public figures or personal relations to get payments. A familiar voice is not proof on its own.
Check outside the message
Campaign donations are not an investment: they do not grow in value and are not returned. The FBI says to check a committee's registration and financial filings on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website, and warns that a PAC reporting high fundraising, consulting, compliance or administrative costs may be a scam. Check your voter registration at vote.gov.
Confirm that the contact details in an unsolicited message really belong to the organization it claims to represent. If someone calls asking for money, the earlier FBI alert advises hanging up, finding the organization's contact yourself, and calling that number directly. Do not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency or other assets to people you do not know or have met only online or over the phone.
One rule for your business
Our suggestion, not an FBI rule: name the person who handles these calls and do not approve any payment during an incoming call. Verify the organization first and call back on a number you found yourself. Staff do not need to decide whether a voice is artificial; they only need to apply the check every time.
Where to report
The FBI asks people to report an election-related scam to a local FBI field office or to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, with as much detail as possible: who contacted you, their phone number, address, email or website, and how payment was requested. This page is information, not legal advice.