Were one week out from Election Day, and by now, youve probably fielded a text (or several) or seen campaign advertising on your social media. But have you ever second-guessed if its real or fake?
Experts at Check Point Exposure Management have published their report, titled "2026 US Midterm Election Threats: Pre-Election Update," where they break down scam activity theyve observed between July and early October 2026.
Senior reporter Mary Kielar breaks down the scams you're likely to encounter during election season and how to spot them: Experts work to track scams targeting voters ahead of MidtermsTony Sabaj of Check Point Software told Channel 13 bad actors take advantage of a process none of us do very often: voting.
They dont have to create a sense of urgency, and thats usually what lets people put their guard down a little bit to fall for some of these scams, he said.
Sabaj explained there are plenty of other ways scammers are targeting voters.
Political action committees and donations, and you know, fake text messages saying youre not registered to vote. These arent things that people deal with on a daily basis, so its really hard to determine, sometimes, if its a scam or not," he said.
Something else to consider, he told Channel 13, is whether youre on a real website thats tied to a candidates campaign.
If you want to donate to Jane Doe, he said, go actually find out what Jane Does actual website is. All official campaigns and political action committees all have to be registered with the Federal Election Commission.
Smaller, lesser-known races that get less publicity might also be a target for scammers, he said. Thats because, he explained, the big-time races have campaign staffers specifically looking for scams and ways to shut them down fast.
If you feel you've fallen victim to a scam or want to report one in general, you can share information with the FBI.
