Beware of phony donation campaigns (Political)
There is a woman named Kim Komando. She host a radio show on technology and an email. She gave some hints on political scamps.
In all my years on radio, I’ve made a couple of things clear: I don’t talk politics, and I don’t make stock picks. Every good rule has its exceptions, though, and scams are mine. I’m here to help you stay safe as we get closer to elections.
Billions of dollars are pouring into the 2024 House, Senate and presidential races. I bet you’ve received a call (or 10) from folks asking you to pull out your wallet. The pleas come in text form, too, plus videos, social media posts and, yep, direct messages. I don’t care who you support — scammers come after us all.
Know their tricks …
… So you don’t fall for them. Here are a few do’s and don’ts for keeping your money safe:
- Do verify it’s a real organization. Here’s a list of registered PACs maintained by the Federal Election Commission.
- Do search for the PAC name. Hey, it’s worth it to see if anything shady pops up. Some funnel money to their own advisors and marketing budgets, not to the candidates they claim to support. This page is useful, too.
- Do use a credit card if you donate. Checks and debit cards don’t have the same scam protections.
- Don’t give payment info over the phone. Find the official website and donate there.
- Don’t click links. That includes those in emails, texts or any other sources. When in doubt, visit the candidate’s or party’s official campaign website.
Pro tip: TikTok banned political fundraising in 2022. Anything you see there asking you to donate is likely a scam — or it’s someone skirting the rules, and you don’t want to be involved with that, either.
False info is spreading faster than ever
It’s not just your wallet you need to worry about. Fake news travels quickly online. I’ve seen everything from “The election is canceled” to “Non-citizens get to vote this year.”
In some cases, foreign countries are behind these massive misinformation campaigns. Meta says the Kremlin is the No. 1 source (paywall link) of AI-created misinformation ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
The most common trick on Facebook? Imaginary “journalists” who write bogus news stories. If it’s a news outlet you’ve never heard of, look elsewhere to corroborate the story.
